May the Best Man Win
by LittleCandyMan
Summary: Chuck and Bryce are best friends just recruited into the CIA. They work flawlessly together as a team. When they are partnered with a gorgeous blonde agent, their friendship goes out the window. This is all while trying to take down an enemy organization.
1. Larkin and Bartowski Together Again

**This is once again, another idea I have for a story. It is somewhat AU if Bryce never got Chuck kicked out of Stanford and they both joined the CIA (yea, one of those stories). Chuck and Bryce are still best friends and Jill never happened, because let's face it, she was a bitch. It will obviously be an eventual Chuck/Sarah story because it's either 'Charah or Die.'**

**/**

September 1999

Chuck Bartowski, self-professed nerd, is sitting on a bench as he tries to get all his books in order. He is only a freshman in college at Stanford. He hasn't really made too many friends. His dorm roommate is a chill guy who is easy to like, but has his stipulations and quirks. He likes to listen to loud metallic music, which is fine by Chuck if he didn't have to blast it at all hours of the day. Chuck needs to study for the eighteen units he is taking and that music is very distracting. That is why he is sitting on a bench outside his dorm where it is at least quieter. He looks upon his books as he straightens the stack, his Zork programming book on top.

"Zork?" A male voice jars him from his musing. He looks up to see a classically handsome man with a football in his hand.

"Yea, I'm a bit of an old schooler," Chuck smiles at the man. "I've been trying to create my own programming for it."

"That's cool. I used to play that every night," the man smiles amusedly. "I'm Bryce, by the way."

"Chuck," they both shake hands happily.

"Like Chuck Norris," Bryce smirks at Chuck.

"I guess, except for I'm not quite as badass," Chuck chuckles comically.

"Well, no one is as badass as Chuck Norris," Bryce shrugs jokingly.

"Touché," Chuck muses with an appreciative nod.

"You wanna play some football?"

"I don't think that's the best idea. I'm not exactly the athletic type."

"Oh come on," Bryce rolls his eyes. "You won't know until you try. Your books will be safe here. We're only playing catch. You're not going to be getting tackled or anything."

"You know what?" Chuck says with determination. College is where he can reinvent himself and he's not going to be the introverted guy he was in high school. "I'll make you guys look like all-pro players." He stands up and joins Bryce.

/

August 2000

"This is pretty cool," Bryce muses as he steps into the fraternity house. "I've always wanted to be in a fraternity."

"You do know they make you pay them every semester, right?" Chuck deadpans.

"Dude, come on!" Bryce looks back at him. "This is college. You only graduate from it once!"

"Not if you do a master's program," Chuck chides.

"Same difference," Bryce rolls his eyes. "This is going to be amazing! We're going to be having parties every weekend."

"Sure, sure," Chuck shakes his head in disbelief as they arrive at the fraternity bedroom they are going to be sharing. "Wow, this is much larger than my dorm room," Chuck muses with slight surprise. There are two separate beds on opposite sides of the room. There is a large window that looks over fraternity row, two desks, two closets, and a large rotating fan on the ceiling.

"This is sick!" Bryce exclaims as he jumps on the bed to the right. "I call this one!"

"Sure, why not," Chuck muses as he didn't really have a choice.

"This bed is going to have a different girl in it every week," Bryce grins widely.

"Whatever; just put a tie on the doorknob or something," Chuck shakes his head in disbelief. Bryce is definitely not lacking enthusiasm.

/

January 2002

Bryce Larkin is completely surprised by the offer that was just made to him. He didn't even do anything special. His teacher suddenly asked him about a meeting after doing well on a test, mostly because Chuck helped him study. He is surprised by how smart Chuck is. Chuck is easily the smartest guy he has ever known and could easily be the Bill Gates of the future. Bryce nervously steps into his teacher's office and see's Professor Tony Stark sitting at his desk. That name definitely got him some off-topic questions during class; mostly about how to create a robotic suit and use electromagnetic pulse fields.

The odd thing about this meeting is Bryce's other Professor sitting to the side of the desk' Bryce's subliminal imaging teacher, Professor Fleming. He is nearing his sixties, thin, has balding hair, and wears prescription glasses. "Have a seat, Bryce," Stark says sincerely as he gestures to the single seat on the opposite side of the desk than him.

Bryce takes the seat and looks between the two men. "Bryce, you know Professor Fleming."

Bryce nods curtly.

"We have some questions for you," Stark explains sincerely. "You are in no way, shape, or form, in any trouble at all."

Bryce visibly sighs in relief as he relaxes his shoulders.

"Bryce, the content of this conversation cannot leave this room," Fleming warns seriously. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do," Bryce nods calmly, but his mind is running in complete disarray. He doesn't know what is going on, but he is intrigued to know where the conversation is leading.

"Good," Fleming nods curtly. "What do you know about the CIA?"

"Like the Central Intelligence Agency CIA?" Bryce flinches back in surprise.

"Exactly," Fleming nods seriously.

"Well, not much really," Bryce shrugs as he tries to think of everything he has learned from movies and other multimedia. "I mean I've heard about them having covert spies that protect the nation from foreign threats and that kind of stuff."

"Do you have any interest in becoming a CIA agent?"

"What? Me?" Bryce flinches again. The thought of being like James Bond does run through his head for a brief second. He could have girls, danger, guns, and more girls. He is definitely intrigued.

"Yes, they have taken an interest in you."

"Really?" An amused smile forms on his lips.

"Yes, how would you like to be a CIA field agent?" Fleming can read the mirth on Bryce's face and already knows the answer. "How would you like to be a spy for your government?"

/

October 2002

Bryce is racing through the hallway. The books provide great cover from his enemy. He checks both ways before sliding across the tiles to the other column of bookshelves. "You only have one shot left," he hears his enemy state amusedly. "You shot two times in the thriller section and two more in the romance section."

"I only need one," Bryce retorts as he tries to find the origin of the voice.

Bryce quickly wraps around a bookshelf to the other side to see his enemy crouched down and looking the opposite way. Bryce slows his breathing and lightens his steps as he approaches his enemy. He aims from only two feet away and fires a shot directly into his enemy's back. The dart sticks to his shirt as his enemy sighs in frustration.

"Damn!" Chuck stands tall as he turns to the arrogant smile on Bryce's face. "I had you that time."

"You *thought* you had me," Bryce replies as his smile widens.

"I'm gonna win one of these days," Chuck smiles at his best friend and roommate.

/

January 2003

"Hello?" Bryce answers his cell phone.

"Tell your roommate that you need to take this outside and use those exact words," the ominous voice says quickly.

"What?" Bryce furrows his brow and then he remembers how secretive the CIA is. It must be a type of test. He lowers the phone from his mouth, "hey Chuck, I need to take this outside."

"Sure," Chuck shrugs carelessly as he goes back to working on the final touches on their own created Zork programming.

Bryce walks outside the fraternity house and puts the phone back to his ear. "Who is this?" He asks slightly annoyed.

"Turn right and walk to the end of the block. There will be a bus stop there," the ominous voice instructs. "I want you to sit on the bench for exactly ten minutes when the next bus will arrive. I want you to get on it."

"Why? What is the point in this?" Bryce is starting to get really agitated.

"I will answer all your questions soon, but you must do exactly as I've said."

"Okay," Bryce shrugs as he ends the call and walks to the bus stop.

Exactly ten minutes later, the bus arrives and Bryce steps on. The bus is completely empty except for a single man in the back and the driver. The man gestures Bryce to join him in the back. The man is in a brown trench coat and a large brown Stetson hat that looks very similar to the hat that Indiana Jones wears. Bryce takes a seat next to the man, ready to attack if necessary. He may not have gotten much training, but over summer, they showed him a few basics self-defense techniques.

"I'm glad you could join me," the ominous man states as he removes his hat. He is nearing fifty years old and has slightly erratic hair. He reminds Bryce of his roommate, Chuck for some odd reason. "You can call me Orion."

"Alright, Orion," Bryce says sincerely. "What is the reason for the secretive meeting?"

"Your roommate, Charles Irving Bartowski is going to be asked if he wants to be part of the CIA."

"Really?" Bryce smiles at the thought of him and Chuck being agents together.

"You cannot let that happen."

"What do you mean?" Bryce flinches with surprise.

"Do whatever it takes to shy the CIA away from him. It isn't the life I want for him," he says slightly saddened.

"Why should I care what you want for him?"

"Because…" Orion sighs in resignation. "I'm Stephen Bartowski and Chuck is my son."

"What?" Bryce's eyes widen. "He said you left them when he was only thirteen."

"I did," Stephen sighs sadly. "It was the hardest decision of my life, but I couldn't protect my family. That's why I need you to do this for me. I cannot let Chuck get mixed in with the government."

"I don't know if I could," Bryce answers truthfully. "I can't just ask the government to stop taking interest in him."

"That is why I need you to make it look like he isn't as smart as his grades say. I've already secured a few copies of Fleming's tests. All you have to do is give them to Fleming and tell them you found them under Chuck's bed. This will be sufficient enough to get the CIA to back off." Stephen shows Bryce the tests.

"But cheating is grounds for expulsion," Bryce says defensively. He would be ruining Chuck's college career if he went through with this plan.

"I know," Stephen squeezes his eyes shut. "But Chuck is smart. He will figure out a way to succeed."

"I don't know if I can do that to my best friend. I'm sorry, Stephen, but Chuck has dedicated too much of his life to Stanford for me to take it away from him. I have to rightfully refuse your offer."

"Please Bryce," Stephen looks at him. "Chuck is not built for the spy world. It would change him into a cold school killer. I can't let that happen to my son."

"Then why don't you do it yourself?" Bryce asks incredulously. "He doesn't even know what happened to you or anything. He's sitting in our room right now. You can see him and explain everything to him. He deserves to know why you left and where you've been."

"I can't let Chuck know about me. It would be wrong to try to ask for a favor after what I've done to him," Stephen confesses sadly. He misses his family more than anything, but he cannot even talk to them. It is just too dangerous.

"Then, Chuck will become a spy because I am not going to ruin my friend's life and lose my friendship with him," Bryce says determinedly. "I hope you understand how amazing your son is and that he deserves to make his own choices. And I hope you meet him one day," Bryce states as he walks off the bus at the next stop.

/

February 2003

Chuck is extremely nervous; he has a meeting with his teacher, Professor Fleming. He is nervous because he is scared he is in trouble, but Bryce assured him he isn't. How would Bryce know anything anyways? Chuck lets out a long breath as he steps into Fleming's office. "Chuck," Fleming greets cheerily. "Have a seat."

"Okay," Chuck nods as he sits down across from Fleming.

"You're acing my class. Even the retention section," Fleming says with subtle pride.

"Well, I kind of just guessed a lot and got it right," Chuck shrugs innocently. "I guess I am good at remembering."

"That you are," Fleming nods appreciatively. "That is why I've called you in. You can do a great service to your country."

"What do you mean?" Chuck furrows his brow curiously.

"The CIA has shown interest in you, Chuck. They want to offer you a job."

"The… the CIA?" Chuck stammers in surprise. "Like the Central Intelligence Agency CIA?"

"Exactly," Fleming snorts. "That is exactly what your friend, Bryce, asked."

"Wait! Bryce is an agent?" Chuck leans forward with curiosity.

"Not fully, but he has been recruited. He is set for training the instance he graduates. You could be too, if you want to help preserve this nation."

"Um…" Chuck is completely flabbergasted at the contents of this conversation.

"You could save a lot of lives and will be making a great living. How would you like to be a spy for the CIA?"

/

May 2003

As ninety-nine cardinal red caps soar through the air, Bryce finds his way to his best friend and soon-to-be co-worker, Chuck. "Dude! How does it feel to be a college graduate?" Bryce nudges Chuck happily as the ninety-nine hats crash to the grassy hill the graduating class is perched on. They are both wearing red gowns along with the other graduates who are hugging, kissing, shaking hands, and smiling all around them.

"I feel like I'm in a horrible rendition of a Nena music video," Chuck jokes as all the caps remind him of balloons.

"Oh come on man!" Bryce exclaims happily. "This should be the happiest times of our lives! We already have jobs lined up and we graduated from college! WE GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE!" Bryce grabs both of Chuck's arms and shakes him to make sure Chuck doesn't think he's dreaming.

"I know buddy. It's just too unreal. Soon enough, we're going to be shipped off to Langley," Chuck smiles sadly at him. This is definitely a great day, but he's going to miss his college times.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" Chuck is pulled into a lung-crushing hug that only one person can give, his sister Ellie. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks Sis," Chuck coughs out as he finally feels air coming back to his lungs. Chuck pulls her into a normal, comfortable hug. "This whole thing is just so unreal. I never saw the day coming."

"Awesome bro," Devon, Ellie's boyfriend of forever, claps Chuck on the back. Chuck forgot how many years they've been together. They might as well be married already.

Ellie turns and pulls Bryce into a lung-crushing hug. "Oh Jeez! Ellie! I like girls' breasts against me but seriously!" Bryce chokes out jokingly.

Ellie releases the hug. "You perv," she smiles joyously at him.

"Seriously, your hug is like if the Hulk gave a bunny rabbit a hug," Bryce jokes as air rushes through his lungs to compensate for the lack of oxygen.

"Congratulations," Ellie punches him in the arm playfully.

"Thank you."

"Auh!" Chuck grunts in shock as a koala jumps on him from the side and wraps its legs and arms around him.

"Congrats, dude!" Morgan, the supposed koala, and Chuck's best childhood friend, exclaims as his legs wrap around Chuck's waist and his arms around Chuck's shoulders. Morgan has been Chuck's best friend for years and is the only rival to Bryce for the title of 'Chuck Bartowski's BFF.'

"Down puppy," Chuck jokes as Morgan quickly jumps off of Chuck. "Thanks buddy. I'm glad you were able to make it to Palo Alto today."

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't have missed it for the world!" Morgan exclaims happily. Chuck actually believes him. He really would be go this far out of his way just for Chuck.

"I know buddy," Chuck smiles as he pats Morgan on the shoulder.

"I think this calls for a celebration!" Morgan shouts to everyone.

"How about Gino's Bistro?" Chuck asks everyone who just smiles at Chuck. That restaurant is one of the most popular and expensive restaurants but well worth the price as it is the best quality Italian food in northern California.

"Let's get sloppy!" Morgan bellows as he rushes to the car with his hands waving like a madman. Chuck cannot help but break out into laughter. Chuck is definitely going to miss him when they go to Langley. Morgan is like the stone that keeps Chuck from losing himself and reminding Chuck of how awesome it is to be a nerd.

/

June 2003

It's been a week since graduation. Chuck said his goodbyes to Ellie, Devon, and Morgan and now Bryce and Chuck are finally in Langley, Virginia. Obviously, they all believe that they both got a job at an accounting firm in Virginia, but that is just the cover story. The life of an accountant is not glamorous enough for people to want to know how it is, so it is a good cover. The CIA training academy is huge. It spans at least three football fields. It looks like an ordinary college campus with multiple people walking in and out wearing fluffy blue and grey sweatshirts that say 'CIA' on them.

"This is it, buddy. You ready?" Bryce asks Chuck, who is still in awe of the building.

"Yep," Chuck follow him into the main doors. The entrance is magnificent. There are hundreds of people racing through the hallways just like high school. There are multiple hallways that lead to oblivion, which makes it look like it would be easy to get lost. There is an information booth directly in the center of the plaza.

"Let's get ourselves checked in," Bryce happily leads Chuck to the information booth. After figuring out where they are going to be living, they find the dorm room. It is small with a bed on each wall. A desk sits in the five feet behind the beds, giving maybe two feet for the chair to maneuver. "Welcome home," Bryce jokes as he tosses his bag on top of the bed to the right. "This bed is gonna have a different girl in it every week. Just like college."

"Sure," Chuck gives him a knowing look. Chuck knows he's joking and he smiles at Bryce. "Just make sure you put a tie on the doorknob."

"Dude, lighten up. This is so cool. Larkin and Bartowski together again," he says with a cool low pitched voice that is reminiscent of Clint Eastwood.

"Why are you first?" Chuck quips with a playful smile as he places his bag on the bed.

"Because I'm the cooler one," he pats Chuck on the back in a friendly manner as if it is only a fact of life and there is nothing Chuck can do about it.

The first day of class reminds Chuck of college. At least he's not a complete stranger; Bryce has the same schedule as Chuck. Their first class is 'hand-to-hand combat' training. Chuck knows this is not going to be fun. Chuck can already see himself icing his left ass cheek tonight. Good thing he bought some ice packs last night.

There are eighteen other recruits along with Bryce and Chuck. They are all wearing the same grey CIA sweat suit that is regulation. Chuck can already see Bryce's head bobbing as he lists each female recruit on his 'I would do' list. Let's just say that the list contains exactly half the class, which is aptly the entire female population of the class.

"Recruits!" The male instructor booms, causing Chuck to stand at attention with all his peers. "I am Sergeant Walters! I will be teaching the methods of martial arts to all you maggots!" _So much for the instructor being nice,_ Chuck thinks bitterly. "The first thing you must know is you do not know how to fight. Just because Hollywood could choreograph it doesn't mean you can! Forget everything you've seen in movies. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" Everyone chants; startling Chuck. Chuck really needs to pay more attention.

"First, I want you to take a combative stance," Walters spreads his legs to about shoulder width apart and readies himself for attack. Everyone mimics his stance. After everyone gets in as correct of a position as they could, he walks around to survey each person.

He walks along with his hands behind his back as he slowly studies all of the student's stances. He fixes the flaws in each recruit's stance. After a few seconds, Chuck feels Walter's hands against his lower back; forcing Chuck to stand taller. "Good," he muses as he continues onto the next recruit.

By the end of the class, they all learned how to fall into the stance in a blink of an eye. Fortunately, they didn't have to actually fight anyone… yet. After the three hours, everyone was fairly tired and spent. Bryce and Chuck got back to their dorm room. Chuck plops onto his bed face first with a despairing sigh.

"That tired dude?" Bryce jokes as he sits down on his own bed

"Yes," Chuck lazily mumbles into his pillow.

"Did you see some of those girls? They were *so* hot," Bryce drawls as he rolls the 'o' sound.

"Yea, whatever," Chuck says apathetically. That's typical Bryce; thinking only about girls. He isn't quite as tired as Chuck since Bryce already had some training while still in Stanford.

"In an hour we have conditioning to do," Bryce informs Chuck, much to Chuck's dismay. "It'll be fun."

"Ugh," Chuck grunts at Bryce's obviously facetious comment about it being fun.

That hour came way faster than Chuck wanted. Chuck was barely able to get some food in before Bryce dragged Chuck off to their next class. They make it into 'the gym' as it's been nicknamed. It is an indoor arena with a track around the edge and weight lifting equipment in the middle. There is also an area for high jumping. He's not really sure why you would need that, but he could care less. There are hundreds of people occupying the large arena. People are jogging around the track while others are working out.

Chuck scans the area to get a feel for things when his eyes freeze on the most beautiful woman Chuck has ever seen. Her golden blonde hair is messily thrown into a bun. Her face is flawless without any makeup and she has bright blue eyes. Chuck doesn't realize the dumbfounded look on his face as she jogs along the track in her full sweat suit. The beautiful blonde jogs right by them as they step up to the edge of the track.

Bryce lets out a long whistle as they both turn their heads with her movement to stare at her ass. "Damn… I'd definitely do her," Bryce says with a smile. Chuck impulsively narrows his eyes at him in disgust. When did Chuck get so protective over someone he's never met before?

"You'd do anything that has an opening between the legs," Chuck chides as they walk over to the Instructor of the class. Chuck wonders if he'll ever see that blonde beauty again.

"That was not fun. You lied to me," Chuck's face is once again deep into the pillow and his body is lifelessly lying on his bed. Bryce lets out a goodhearted laugh. Bryce has always been the athletic type. Chuck never was. The last time Chuck played sports was seventh grade kickball. He's tall and lanky; not exactly the prime stature for sports. Chuck doesn't have the muscle strength to keep up with everyone.

"You'll get used to it," Bryce says comfortingly. "I used to feel like that."

"You better not be lying to me," Chuck warns through the pillow.

"I'm not. Drink some orange juice. Calcium's good for your muscles," Bryce goes to the small fridge that they stocked last night with orange juice, milk, and hot pockets. "I'll help you get into better shape buddy."

"Yay," Chuck sarcastically cheers with one hand raised as the rest of his body slumps deeper into the bed.

**/**

**How is this so far? This story will be eventual Charah… obviously. I want to put in a lot of pop culture references so if there are any that you want in this story, let me know. I want this to be a long story, so I'm going to need a lot of help and that is what I need from you guys. Your reviews of my previous stories have helped a lot and I know that you guys are withholding super awesome ideas that are just waiting to be put into a story.**

**Please review with your inputs and thoughts. I could really use them.**


	2. The Art of Seduction

**Thanks for the reviews so far. I hope you're enjoying this story so far. The dates will jump ahead a bit in the future chapters, but Chuck is only just getting established in the CIA training.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**May 2003**

The showers here are community showers. There are private stalls at least. If it was like that movie _Starship Troopers_ then that would just be awkward, but then again, Chuck would get to see nude women so it wouldn't be all bad. But having the self-control around so many beautiful women is not easy, especially when they are nude. If that blonde was there, he would be in deep trouble and quite possibly become the laughing stock of the CIA on his first day. Chuck can't be blamed for his thoughts, though. He's only a man after all. Moving on… he finally finished the shower that was not half bad. The shower head had a strong power to it and not too much spread. It was nothing like a cheap motel or garden hose.

Well, he is only done with half of his first day. Next up, 'The Infiltration and Inducement of Enemy Personnel;' better known as seduction class. This is going to be quite embarrassing for Chuck. Bryce seems so sure of himself, but then again, he has all the looks that girls seem to love so much.

Bryce and Chuck arrive in an ordinary classroom filled with other recruits; a few that were in the previous classes and a few new ones. Bryce and Chuck find seats next to each other in the center of the classroom. The clock ticks just past three o' clock when an older gentlemen with graying silver hair walks in with a martini shaker and a martini glass in his hands. He puts down his alcoholic items and walks up to the female recruit in the front of the class, Kelly. "Good afternoon," he takes her hand in his gently, "I'm Roan. I would love to know the name of such a sophisticated beautiful woman." He gazes into her eyes the whole time as he speaks suavely.

"Ke—Kelly," she responds as he kisses the back of her hand without dropping eye contact.

"Well, Kelly," he slowly lets her hand rest on the desk in front of her, "It's a pleasure. May I ask what such a young woman would be doing here?"

"Class," she responds as her eyes start to glaze over and she gets lost in his charming face.

"Ah, yes, class. Isn't that the scourge of all of us," he smiles charmingly at her and she shies away slightly with a small smile. "I believe dinner tonight would be a great way to start your year."

"Okay," she meekly responds.

"I'll be by tonight at seven," he smiles at her slightly smugly; knowing he's already won.

"Dorm A; Room 36," she tells him almost impulsively.

"See you then," he places his hand on her cheek and leans in for a kiss. She closes her eyes and puckers her lips as she leans towards him. "And that is how seduction works!" He exclaims as he backs away completely.

"What?" Kelly is completely fazed and confused as she blinks rapidly. Everyone stifles chuckles at how easily she was duped.

"Eye contact, eye contact, eye contact," Roan drills into their minds before looking at the gorgeous young student. "Don't feel ashamed. It works on a different recruit every semester," he smiles captivatingly at her before looking up to everyone. "Hello class."

"There is no way our teacher is drinking during class, is he?" Bryce whispers to Chuck.

"I think so," Chuck quickly whispers back quietly because he doesn't want to get in trouble on his first day.

"I am here to teach you everything you need to know about seducing and manipulating your mark to accomplish your mission," the older gentleman continues. "I am Roan Montgomery."

"*The* Roan Montgomery?" One of the male recruits asks in awe.

"So you've heard of me, huh?" Roan smirks as he shakes the martini shaker and pours a glass for himself. "I guess my reputation precedes me," he places two olives into the drink. "The first rule you need to know is the proper way to hold a martini," he lifts his glass. "Hold by stem, nod to mark," he nods to Kelly and she gives him a tight smile. "Slowly tilt back," he takes a long sip that drowns all of the clear liquid. "A moment to learn; a lifetime to perfect." He eats the olives left in his empty drink as he turns to refill it.

"His liver must look like camouflage," Chuck whispers to Bryce in shock. How can he down alcohol so easily? Bryce chuckles before Roan has his glass full and ready to teach some more.

"The second rule of seduction is never ever sleep with your marks," he declares confidently.

A few of the arrogant male recruits sigh disappointedly and drawl out "what?"

"If you have to have sex with your mark then you failed your mission," Roan explains with pure seriousness.

"I thought sex was a way to control your mark?" A recruit asks innocently.

"It can be but only in the most desperate of situations. I know all of you men out there who thought being a spy meant having intercourse with multiple women, but you are wrong. Sex leads to lust. Lust leads to thinking you're in love. That leads to distractions and can and usually will fail the mission." That makes perfect sense to Chuck. He always felt connected to the women he's been with sexually.

"But what about long-term assignments?" Another recruit asks curiously.

"It is rare, but there may be assignments that require that much dedication, but you shouldn't have to worry about it right now," Roan explains seriously. "Plus, the government will never force you to do something against the Constitution. They want their agents content. They aren't going to make you sleep with your marks unless you are willing to," Roan states with a slight faraway look before changing the subject. "I'm here to teach you all how to not only seduce but resist seduction too. I am going to split each of you into groups of two: one male and one female."

He counts everyone off and places Chuck with a cute brunette. Her hair is tied back in a ponytail and her green eyes are welcoming. "Hi, I'm Chuck," Chuck extends his hand sincerely.

"Jesse," she shakes Chuck's hand happily.

"Is this your first year?" Chuck decides to make some friendly conversation. There is nothing wrong with making a friend other than Bryce.

"Yea, you?"

"Yep."

"Alright students," Roan gathers everyone's attention, "I want you to kiss your partner."

A few people express their dislike with saying "What?" While some men and very few women smile deviously; Bryce and his partner being two of them. Bryce is paired with an attractive redheaded woman with small freckles lightly peppering her cheeks.

"If you cannot even kiss a fellow student, how do you expect to kiss an enemy?" Roan drills intensely like it is no big deal to kiss someone else.

"This is awkward," Chuck smiles sheepishly as he turns beet red. Jesse lets out a tiny giggle. "Is it alright if I kiss you?" Chuck asks sincerely as he isn't going to force this woman to kiss him if she doesn't want to.

"It seems like we have to," she smiles shyly. "Here we go," she closes her eyes and puckers her lips. Chuck mimics her as their faces slowly close the gap between them. _Don't panic_. As he feels her lips brush his, he slowly opens his mouth to gently brush his tongue against her lips, hoping for access. She grants it and their tongues slide against each other's. After a few seconds, she breaks the kiss and shies away.

"It wasn't too bad, was it?" Chuck asks shyly after seeing her reaction. "I probably should've had some gum before class," Chuck says to himself as he tries to check his own breath by huffing into his curled hand.

"What? No," she stammers awkwardly as she blushes a dark red. "It's just the concept."

"Yea, I feel weird kissing someone I barely know too."

"I missed it. Show me again," Roan appears next to them, startling them slightly.

"Is it absolutely necessary for us to kiss at this particular juncture?" Chuck asks after reading the embarrassment on Jesse's face.

"Yes it is. Now kiss her."

She gets back into position and they repeat the same kiss as before. "Hold it for longer," Roan instructs as he places Chuck's right hand on her cheek. The kiss has already gone twice as long as the first one. "You need to act like you want it," he informs Jesse. "Don't be afraid to get some tongue in there, son," he pats Chuck on the back. "Alright, good," he finally says a few more seconds later before walking to the next group. They both break the kiss hastily and gasp for air.

"That was kind of unnecessarily long," Chuck shrugs at her with as disarming a smile as he can muster.

"Really," she raises a sarcastic eyebrow at me. "It seemed like your tongue was having an open season in my mouth."

"He told me to use tongue," Chuck retorts slightly affronted as he starts turning red from a blush.

"I'm just kidding," Jesse giggles at the blush growing on Chuck's face as she playfully hits him in the arm.

"So not cool," Chuck deadpans as a ghost of a smile appears on his face as he feels utter relief.

"You're going to make this class fun for me," Jesse says mirthfully.

"Great," Chuck rolls his eyes which elicits a giggle from Jesse. "I'm glad I could be of service to you," Chuck states dramatically dreadful.

He looks over and sees Bryce with his red-headed partner. They are both in a deep kiss and Chuck can tell she likes it just as much as he does. Their kiss is extremely passionate and Roan watches with a growing smile of pride on his face.

"Bravo," Roan says proudly as they finally break their kiss. "Now that is a kiss."

That class was finally over, much to Chuck's relief. Not that Chuck didn't like kissing Jesse, but it just wasn't right to kiss her without at least knowing her on an intimate level first. He hopes she doesn't despise him or anything. Maybe he had bad breath? He really hopes not. "Dude, I cannot believe Roan just seduced Kelly on the spot like that," Bryce says in shock as they enter their dorm room.

"She did seem like one of the more reserved recruits," Chuck muses with slight surprise.

"She did!" Bryce exclaims. "I want to learn how to do that."

"I'm sure he'll teach us, even though it didn't look like you had a problem in class today," Chuck states matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean?" Bryce furrows his brow.

"You were tongue deep in that girl like you'd been together for months," Chuck smiles wryly.

"Who? Tiffany?"

"Yea," Chuck looks at him like it is obvious.

"She is really hot," Bryce smirks deviously. "I didn't think spy training was going to throw girls at me like that."

"I'm sure when they recruited you, they made sure to throw at least one girl a day at you," Chuck states sarcastically as a smile grows on his face.

"Well, it was part of my requirements to become a spy," Bryce nudges Chuck playfully.

"Sure," Chuck shakes his head in disbelief. "Now we need to get over to the shooting range for firearms training."

"This is gonna be so awesome!" Bryce smiles at Chuck as they leave their dorm room. His voice dons a Sean Connery accent, "Larkin… Bryce Larkin."

"Really?" Chuck looks at his best friend in disbelief. "You're ridiculous."

"What?" Bryce acts confusedly innocent.

"Nothing."

Bryce and Chuck arrive at the shooting range and there she is; that blonde woman that he saw earlier on the track. She is wearing protective headphones and glasses. She is firing a Smith and Wesson 5906 handgun. Her body sits completely still with her legs shoulder width apart and both hands expertly clasped over the handle of the gun as she fires each shot into the target. He contemplates walking up to her and introducing himself but he is too nervous. He has never been good with the ladies, but no one has ever made him so nervous in his life.

"There's where our class is meeting. Let's go," Bryce drags Chuck before he could even think about what to say to the blonde woman.

Firearms training was actually quite interesting to Chuck. They learned how to field strip a pistol. Chuck has always been fascinated with guns; at least the mechanics of it. The killing is still slightly freaky to think he is taking a life away with each shot. He was actually one of the quickest to disassemble and reassemble his gun. By the time the class was over, he had nearly perfected it. He looks up and checks on the stall that the blonde was firing in earlier, but she is gone. He drops his head slightly and frowns. It's apparently not meant to be.

**June 2003**

It's only been one week in and his body still hasn't quite gotten used to the training regimen. His legs are in constant pain as they have him running three miles daily and they're expecting five miles by the end of the month. What was he thinking accepting this job? He's a nerd, not a jock. On the other hand, Bryce is having the time of his life. He hasn't brought a girl back yet, thank god, but he's charming all the women. Bryce and Chuck are actually great partners. People always comment on how they know exactly what each other is going to do before they do it. But that's just how best friends are. They've been plotted against each other plenty of times during the combat training class. Bryce wins every time but Chuck is actually able to defend himself to an extent. They learned taekwondo the other day. It contains a lot of kicking. Chuck believes his heels are probably completely callused already.

Every weekend they test their skills in an obstacle course. The first one was just jumping through holes and climbing walls, but they said they were going to get more extensive. It totally reminded Chuck of the training course Jodie Foster was in at the beginning of _Silence of the Lambs_. He didn't like it… not one bit. He's going to just leave it at that. He finished it, barely, while Bryce ran right through it in a breeze. Maybe Chuck should stop comparing himself to Bryce. Bryce seems to be exceling in everything while Chuck is only just floating by.

Bryce has been a good friend though. He hasn't just forgotten about Chuck. He still helps Chuck out when he needs it. He's been trying Roan's seduction methods on some women, but to no avail. It seems everybody here has been trained to be impervious to Roan's methods. He keeps telling Chuck to live a little and "mingle." Chuck has been working on it, but no one really intrigues him enough. Jesse has become somewhat of a friend, but they rarely ever do anything out of class.

**Next chapter, Chuck and Bryce meet a new person who will end up as more than just their teacher.**

**Please review.**


	3. Angels Are Real

**Thanks for the reviews. That chapter obviously wasn't a fan favorite, but it is what it is. This story picks up while Chuck is in the earlier stages of training.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**June 22, 2003**

Sergeant Walters soon decided to give a specific training instructor to groups of two. Bryce and Chuck were paired together and were waiting for their instructor. "So, who is this mysterious trainer of ours?" Bryce asks jokingly.

"I don't know. They said she was a hand-to-hand expert," Chuck answers with what info they told them.

"Is she hot?" Bryce asks with a shrug.

"Really? That's what you're most curious about?" Chuck looks at him in disbelief. "You know, I kind of hope she is a two hundred and fifty pound weightlifter just for you."

"Not cool," Bryce warns.

An instant later, a woman walks through the doors. Chuck freezes in place as it is that blonde he was so mesmerized by on the first day. He wonders what she's doing here. She couldn't possibly be their instructor. She doesn't even look a day older than twenty-one. She is wearing a blue sports top that is tight around her body and some black shorts that barely reach midway down her thighs.

"Hello," she greets the boys. She immediately studies them up and notices the man on the left is definitely handsome with his wavy dark hair and bright blue eyes. The other recruit is still handsome, but in his own unique cute way. She can honestly say that every year, the recruits get better looker. "I'm Agent Sarah Walker and I will be your instructor." She extends her hand to Chuck first. Chuck is still frozen as he feels butterflies in his stomach and the nervousness takes over.

"Hu—hi! I'm uh, uh, Charles," he finally spurts out, "but you can call me Chuck," he finishes with a sigh as he shakes her hand.

"Hello Charles but you can call me Chuck," she grins subtly at him before turning to Bryce.

"Bryce Larkin," Bryce says charmingly as he takes her hand. He pulls her hand delicately to his lips as he holds eye contact with her. "It's a pleasure. You are a very beautiful young woman. Do you have any plans for tonight?" Chuck just shakes his head in disbelief and buried down anger he didn't know he had. Really? He's already hitting on her?

She gives him a very subtle smile that just barely shows the white of her teeth. It is blindingly mesmerizing in Chuck's eyes. "Ah…," she chuckles, which sounds like angels laughing in Chuck's ears. "Roan's methods are always so upfront. How 'bout if you beat me, then your friend can take me out to dinner?" She smirks because she knows Bryce doesn't stand a chance at all.

"What?" Chuck flinches back in utter surprise as he starts to blush red. "Me?"

Yep," Sarah is having a blast teasing the two recruits. She may be a year younger than them, but she started at a younger age so she has the experience to instruct. "You're cute," she smiles charmingly at Chuck, who is now about fourteen shades redder than before. She cannot help but think he looks absolutely adorable when he is flustered and nervous.

"You have yourself a deal," Bryce smiles boastfully at Sarah before looking at Chuck. "Get ready for a hot date tonight," he smirks devilishly at Chuck.

"Wha…?" Chuck's jaw slowly drops as he stands there flabbergasted. Sarah lets out a snort as she steps to the center of the mat.

"Good, I want you to defend yourself against me," Sarah tells Bryce as they step onto the mat. She stands up erect with her arms stretched behind her back as she stretches her muscles. Chuck finds the ability to move and backs away so he can watch from a bench next to the fighting mat they are on. The blush on his face is finally dissipating.

Sarah attacks Bryce while Chuck watches with admiration. She looks like a ballet dancer in the way she bounces so lightly and gracefully. She spins elegantly as she attacks Bryce. Her fighting style looks professionally choreographed as she dances with Bryce. Bryce does his best to block each attack but is having trouble throughout. He has excelled in fighting compared to Chuck so he can understand him at least somewhat holding his own against such a magnificent creature.

"Good," Sarah finally says as she stops her dance routine—fight sequence. "Chuck, your turn."

"But you didn't beat me?" Bryce complains as he is thinks he could still beat her. An instant later, he is on his ass and Sarah's foot is hovering over his groin. She eases pressure on his groin and fear strikes Bryce's face. "Okay, okay. You win," he tries to act calm but the fact that his family jewels are in the wake of being crushed freaks him out.

"Alright then," she releases her foot and turns to Chuck with an amused smile. He cannot help but laugh at Bryce's demise. Bryce definitely deserved that. "Chuck, now it's your turn. Do you have any bets you'd like to get out before we start?"

"No, ma'am," Chuck nods after seeing what happened to Bryce. He has no chance in heaven if Bryce got his ass kicked that badly.

"Good," she takes her erect stance again.

Chuck swallows loudly. Here goes nothing. He steps onto the mat to replace Bryce. She looks at him to see if he's ready. He nods and the next thing he sees is stars and a blurry ceiling. She looks down at him and through the fuzziness of his eyesight, she looks like a beautiful glowing angel as the background blurs behind her; all she's missing is the angel wings and the halo—oh wait, the halo is there but it looks more like stars. He smiles goofily as she puts her hand out to help him up. He graciously grabs it and she lifts him up onto his feet. He feels a slight pain course through his head beginning from the occipital area.

"You alright?" She rubs the back of his head. He must have landed right on his head, yet he cannot really remember because it was all so quick.

"Yea, I'm fine," he smiles at her. Wow, she is so beautiful.

"You have to at least put your hands up," Bryce teases with heavy laughter.

Chuck shakes it off and gets back into his stance. He needs to think of her as an enemy, not a beautiful angel. _She's an enemy!_ He repeats like a mantra. _Those are punches, not hugs!_ She gets into her stance and attacks him. She throws a quick kick to the side of his face, but he narrowly ducked under the swift kick. She continues her onslaught as she punches and kicks at Chuck. His arms are starting to get tired of blocking her numerous attacks. She is so unpredictable that Chuck can't tell what's next until the millisecond before he is hit. It doesn't help that she has slipped in a few to the gut and one to the face. That last one to the jaw really hurt.

"Alright, that's better," she finally stops, much to Chuck's relief. Those icepacks are going to come in handy after all.

"Oh thank god," Chuck bends over breathlessly and tries to reestablish the air that escaped his lungs during the fight. She lets out a feeble laugh as she grabs a bottle of water from the bench.

"Take five," she tosses Chuck the bottle. He barely notices it before it hits his palm. He fumbles the bottle between both hands like a juggler before finally grasping it. He twists off the cap and starts chugging.

"Slow down there Tauntaun," Bryce jokes as he grabs another bottle from Sarah. He sits back on the bench and relaxes. "And I thought they smelled bad on the outside," Bryce muses with a comical grin.

Chuck sees Sarah sitting on another bench alone and decides to seize the opportunity. _Don't panic_, he tells himself. "Agent Walker?" Chuck asks nervously as he shuffles on his feet.

"Yea Chuck?" She looks up at him. Wow, she is the most beautiful thing in the world.

"Um, uh, how did you get so good at fighting?" Chuck sits down next to her. She doesn't object or slide away and that does wonders for his morale.

"Just training really," she shrugs nonchalantly. "I was recruited at a young age," she answers truthfully.

"Really? How old are you now?" He asks completely innocently. The instant it comes out of his mouth, he realizes what he just asked and covers his mouth in a gasp.

"Didn't your parents teach you it's not polite to ask a lady her age?" Sarah quips sarcastically. She cannot help but enjoy seeing Chuck nervous and flustered.

"My parents ran out on me and my sister when I was thirteen," He tells her somberly. He shouldn't be too sad about it anymore. He never really knew them but they were still his parents. Her joking smile immediately drops to a frown.

"Sorry to hear that," she says as she looks off into the distance and gets lost within her own thoughts about her parents. She hasn't seen her father since he was arrested while she was in high school and she hasn't seen her mother since she was barely able to talk. A slight frown takes over her face as Chuck's words hit really close to home.

"I never really knew them so it's okay," Chuck tries to quash the depressing aura that is falling upon them. "So can you tell me how long you've been in the CIA or is that breaching something else my parents should've told me to never ask?" He smiles at her brightly, hoping to change the subject with a quip. She raises an eyebrow at him for the flawless change of subject using a joke. Not enough people in this profession joke around and she likes the innocent humor in Chuck. "You know, so I can figure out when I'll be that good at fighting," he sheepishly tries to justify his curiosity for function.

"No, it's okay," she chuckles quietly. "About four years now."

"So have you been on any missions?" He asks hopefully as he leans closer to her. He's always wanted to know what a mission would be like.

"Just a few," she smiles at him and the smile is utterly dazzling. No one has ever taken so much interest in her, and she actually enjoys the innocent company. She's too used to people hitting on her or eyeing her up sexually.

Chuck nearly gets lost in her smile, but continues the conversation. "What's it like? Is it exhilarating and satisfying?" His voice rises like a kid in a candy store naming each candy he loves.

"You can say that, but it isn't all fun and games."

"Well, yea, but I can't wait. I already created a cover name."

"Really? What's that?"

"Charles Carmichael," he states proudly. "Graduated from Stanford with honors. Runs a hugely successful software company. Semi-retired and considering entering America's Cup."

"You really thought this through," She raises her eyebrow at me.

"Well it's where I saw myself when I first got into Stanford. Except for the sailing part. I don't really know where that came from," he answers honestly with a smile and a shrug. She lets out a tiny giggle that makes everything Chuck has done worth it.

"Well, it's simple and easy to remember. I like it," she smiles at him before seeing the redness growing on his face. "How's your face? I thought you'd defend yourself when I asked," she has an amused smile on her face.

"I'll be fine," he assures her with a nod.

She stands up and looks down at him. "You ready for round 2?"

"Not really. I'm still dealing with the bruise on my ass from round 1," he jokes as he follows her up. She laughs as she takes him to the mat.

"Now, I need to see where you guys stand on the offensive," she informs them.

"Does that mean we're supposed to attack you?" Chuck asks slightly worried. He really doesn't want to try to attack her. Not only does he dislike the possibility of hurting her, but she could kick his ass with her hands tied behind her back.

"Don't worry," she reads the worrisome expression on his face, "I can handle myself in a fight. Bryce, you're first. Let's see what you got." She smirks at him as Chuck takes his respected place on the bench.

Again Chuck watches as she dances around mystically dodging every punch and kick Bryce throws at her. She doesn't even need to block as she moves around almost as fast and gracefully as Agent Smith in _The Matrix_. Chuck just admires her gracefulness as Bryce starts to get angry and throws careless punches. She decides to start blocking instead of dodging to feel his strength. Chuck can see that Bryce is starting to get winded. His attacks are slowing down and looking more sluggish.

"You have good form," Sarah muses after they stop.

"But I didn't land a single punch," Bryce retorts in annoyance. He doesn't like being shown up; especially by a woman. Chuck grins at Bryce's egotistic arrogance.

"That's the point. Didn't it annoy you that you couldn't hit me?"

"Yea."

"And that caused you to attack recklessly. I had ample opportunity to defeat you. I am here to teach you how to control yourself and defend yourself."

"Alright," Bryce shuffles away slightly ashamed.

"Don't worry. You did better than most of the recruits that I've seen," she smiles at Bryce hoping his spirits aren't crushed. "Chuck, your turn."

"Yay," Chuck cheers sarcastically as he takes his place on the mat. "Go easy on me," he begs with the most adorable pout he could muster. Sarah lets out a tiny giggle at his expression.

"You're the one attacking me, silly," she smiles as they get ready to face off. "Attack me," she demands as she gets in a defensive stance and her smile turns into a slight scowl. She is still as beautiful as ever.

"Don't panic," Bryce jokes.

"Thanks," Chuck sighs despairingly. "Well, here I come," Chuck informs her before launching what attacks he knows. Miss after miss, he feels his anger rising. He remembers what she said and tries to calm himself down by backing away and resetting his form. He throws a quick right jab that glides by her face, missing by millimeters. He decides to use his momentum and try a backwards elbow strike. As his elbow arrives to where he thought her face was, he feels her leg wrap around his ankles and a pressure against his back. He starts to fall over like an AT-AT with its legs tied together by the cable from a Snowspeeder in star Wars.

"Timber!" Bryce drawls jokingly as Chuck looks like a tree that's been cut from its stump.

Chuck braces himself for the inevitable fall as he puts his arms out, but he feels something hoist him by his waist; keeping him from falling. He feels the anchor that's holding him up and it is soft and fleshy. He rubs the anchor up and down once with his palm, feeling the soft texture of her skin. He finally realizes he is rubbing her arm. She quickly pulls him up and spins him so they are face to face. "Never ever turn your back to your opponent," she drills in seriously. "You must always be able to see your opponent and be able to read them. I could've pulled a knife or a gun and killed you before you could even take another look at me."

"Sorry Agent Walker," Chuck looks down at his feet in shame. She's right; he could've been killed if she had the intention of murder.

"You don't need to be sorry. You're learning from your mistakes," she pats him on the shoulder. She doesn't like seeing him despondent. He feels shivers down his body from the sensual touch. "Both of you are still learning but are at a good place so far. Good day overall. Tomorrow we'll work on reading your opponent."

"You're training us tomorrow?" Chuck asks as hope accidentally brims out of his voice and smile.

"Yea, I'll be your new trainer for now on except for when I am on missions," she informs him. Chuck beams a smile at her.

"Cool," he pipes happily. This is like a dream come true for him. He gets to see her six times a week.

Bryce and Chuck get back to their dorm room. "Dude," Bryce nudges him in the side, "way to go."

"What do you mean?" Chuck asks curiously as he furrows his brow. Bryce has a big goofy smile.

"When I told you to talk with the ladies, I didn't expect you to go for the best of the best," he gives Chuck a mock seductive look.

"You're a dick," Chuck smiles at him playfully as he takes off his shoes to relax. _Bryce is crazy. There is no way she likes me… Does she? She did call me cute. Did she say something to Bryce? What if she does like me? That would be so awesome._ Chuck sighs as he falls back onto his bed. _Sarah likes me?_

**/**

**I hope the introduction of Sarah Walker was satisfactory. Next chapter, Chuck will change his look and he has a training mission. If you would be so kindly, check out my other story that I started. It is an AU of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.**

**Please review.**


	4. Bond, James Bond

**Thanks for the reviews so far. This story will start jumping a bit ahead in time later on.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**June 29, 2003**

It is time for seduction class again. Chuck honestly kind of feels like a bit slutty with the amount of times they make them kiss each other. He likes kissing just as much as the next person, but it just feels wrong when he barely even knows the person's name. Luckily, he is becoming good friends with Jesse, his seduction partner. But if this is what it takes to be a spy, than he will kiss every damn woman that he has to.

"Good day class," Roan appears with his daily martini glass and pocketed gin. Two women and a man follow him in. "Today is going to be a little different than usual. Today, you're all getting makeovers."

_What? Makeovers? With makeup and blush and all that?_ Chuck really doesn't think makeup suits him and kind of likes his look just fine; low maintenance is great. _Oh man, Ellie's going to hate me for this_, Chuck scolds if he has to cut his hair.

By the time it was his turn, Roan had already gotten through most of the class. Bryce was already well-groomed so all he had to get was a trim of his hair and his five o' clock shadow removed. Jesse was already beautiful and attractive but now her brunette hair is longer and shinier, flowing gently past her shoulders and her eyelashes are longer than Chuck's fingernails.

"How do I look?" She playfully asks through her dark upper eyelashes as she bats her eyes. Her green eyes complement the subtle transparent purple eye shadow that makes her look like a gorgeous supermodel. It is the perfect amount so she doesn't look too slutty but it still hypes up the attractiveness. Any man that isn't at least attracted to her must be crazy or just homosexual.

"Like a girl that I wouldn't mind kissing," Chuck grins at her widely. They have become great friends and love to joke around with each other. Chuck would be lucky to end up with a woman of her caliber but he is still pinning for an enigmatic beautiful blonde.

"I'm not too trashy looking? I feel like a prostitute in this makeup and hair extensions." Jesse was always a bit of a tomboy, no matter how she looked, she wasn't afraid to get dirty. She definitely had the looks of a starlet but she was more of a sports type of person and fashion was never huge in her life.

"Nope, you look just the right amount without going overboard."

"Thanks," she smiles at Chuck.

"Mr. Bartowski," Roan appears with a martini in his hand, "You're up." Chuck looks over at him and makes his way over. "Hmm…" Roan studies Chuck and he doesn't like the frown on Roan's face. He turns to the stylists, "This'll be fun," Roan cracks a smile. "The hair, chin scruff and eyebrows."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chuck asks feeling offended as a scowl forms on his face. _This'll be fun? Am I that ugly looking?_ Chuck asks himself.

"Have faith in the CIA, Mr. Bartowski," Roan sits Chuck in the chair. "We'll have you coming out a whole new man."

Chuck has no qualms with his current hairstyle. He doesn't feel it is necessary to change his looks, but the CIA thinks otherwise. Yea, he's no James Bond superspy, but he's fine with his charming nerdy looks. Apparently nerdy isn't the look the CIA looks for. Chuck has never thought about his eyebrows before._ You can change those?_ _A man shouldn't look pampered and fake, right?_ Chuck conjectures that this whole thing would just make him look feminine. _Just don't panic_.

After they finish molding Chuck, Roan says. "You really pulled a Michelangelo on this one, Jenna," as the stylists show Chuck off to Roan after 'making' him over.

"Thank you sir," she smiles slightly seductively at him.

"So Mr. Bartowski, how do you like your new look?" Roan asks as he points Chuck to the mirror. Chuck looks into the mirror to see a completely different person but with the same brown eyes as his. His hair is cleanly trimmed into a suave smooth wave. His jawline is completely smooth with no scruff whatsoever. His sideburns are trimmed and short. His eyebrows are thinner and almost like two thick lines with almost no stray hairs.

"I don't even look like myself anymore," Chuck muses in awe. He is not sure if this new look is an improvement or not. _Maybe more classically handsome now?_

"That's the point," Roan helps Chuck out of the seat and directs him over to the rest of the class.

"What's up James Bond?" Jesse jokes as she sees Chuck.

"I feel so different," Chuck tells her with astonishment. "I don't feel like myself anymore."

"No more cute curls," she mockingly pouts as she plays with Chuck's hair. "But you do look more mature now. Not so much computer nerd and more superspy."

"Thanks," Chuck smiles charmingly at her.

"Damn buddy," Bryce comes over and places his hand on Chuck's shoulder, "looking good. I would never guess you're a nerd from that look."

"Thanks sexy," Chuck jokes and acts exaggeratedly flamboyant. "What do you say we go back to my room?" Chuck waggles his eyebrows at him.

"You're sick dude," Bryce hits Chuck in the arm playfully. Jesse starts cracking up with laughter. Chuck joins her in the laughter after seeing the disgusted look on Bryce's face.

**June 30, 2003**

Chuck and Bryce are waiting for training. He's ecstatic that he gets to see Sarah again. She is not like Walters at all. She is nice and sweet and very smart… oh, and extremely gorgeous. She analyzes and helps Chuck and Bryce so quickly. Chuck finds himself wondering how long she's been training people for, because she is amazing at it. Most people would get frustrated with him and make it harder on him, but she is patient and never yells at anyone. Sarah walks into the dojo and her lips scrunch up into a smile that shows she is trying not to laugh.

"What?" Chuck asks her bitterly, feeling her eyes on him.

"Say it. Please just say it," she pleads with an adorably cute pout. It doesn't help that Bryce is laughing his ass off right now.

"Ugh," Chuck throws his hands in the air in annoyance. Apparently everyone thinks he looks like Pierce Brosnan and therefore James Bond.

"Please?" She pouts deeper with big doughy puppy dog eyes. It is the most adorable look Chuck has ever seen. _How could I ever say no to her or that beautiful face?_

"Fine," he sighs in frustration, "but only once." Chuck puts on his best Pierce Brosnan expression as he narrows his eyes ever so slightly and changes his voice. "The name's Bond, James Bond."

"Nice to meet you James," Sarah says in a sultry voice. "I'm Ms. Moneypenny," she breaks out into a huge laugh.

"Actually, you do look kind of like the Barbara Bouchet version from Casino Royale," Chuck muses with slight surprise because he never thought about it but there is a huge resemblance: "blond hair, blue eyes, and a gorgeous body." _Oh shit, did I just say that out loud?_ Chuck covers his mouth with his hands in nervousness. Sarah giggles shyly at the compliment.

_Did I just blush?_ Sarah scolds herself as she tries to contain her excitement. Chuck just complimented her on accident and he is very adorable when he is nervous.

"I do see it," Bryce smiles widely. He must notice the resemblance or just the Penthouse spread of Barbara Bouchet. Chuck's not really sure which one Bryce is thinking about but he's leaning toward the latter.

"Who's Barbara Bouchet?" Sarah asks curiously. She hates not being in the loop, especially when it pertains to her.

"She's an actress who played Ms. Moneypenny back in the late sixties in Casino Royale," Chuck informs her nonchalantly.

"How do you know that? Do you have an encyclopedia on James Bond?" She smiles to let him know she is just kidding around.

"James Bond is my life," Chuck quips over-enthusiastically. She raises an eyebrow at me. "I'm kidding. I'm a nerd. I can't really help it," Chuck smiles charmingly at her. She smiles back. She finds herself enjoying Chuck's smile more and more.

Her smile is so perfect. Chuck is finding himself enjoying her smile more and more. The way her two front teeth barely appear below her bottom lip, giving her a cute squirrelly look.

"I kind of miss the curly hair," she runs her hand through Chuck's hair; sending quivers through his body as he feels her touch. Luckily he doesn't have a tail or it would be wagging faster than a dog being scratched behind the ear. "It made you look unique," she sighs with a hint of despair.

**January 13, 2004**

The objective is simple: recover the flag or eliminate all hostiles. Chuck and Bryce are pitted against the rest of the class; fifteen to two. Not the greatest odds but that'll have to do. The area they start in is outside a two story brick building shaped like an 'L', in a dark alley along the side to be specific. The moonlight is dim with very little illumination over the courtyard obstructing their path and the shadows are going to be their best friends. The flag is in the farthest room on the second floor.

"Flag or hostiles?" Bryce whispers to Chuck as he cocks his suppressed compressed air paintball pistol.

"Flag is the number one priority. Only kill if needed," Chuck replies analytically. He's never liked the concept of killing people even if this is a training exercise and his pistol only fires paintballs.

"Alright buddy," Bryce cracks a smile before placing the mask over his face. They are both dressed in all black BDU outfits with balaclavas to complete the ensemble. Bryce leads the way as they cautiously round the corner of the building, passing a storm drain pipe. As they survey the courtyard, there is very little cover and the shadows are sparse and not very dark. "This'll be fun," Bryce whispers arrogantly.

"Wait," Chuck places his hand on Bryce's shoulder and holds him back. "There are five bogies out here and with the minimal coverage, we're at a disadvantage," Chuck informs him because he knows Bryce always likes taking unnecessary risks.

"Bogies? Really?" Bryce deadpans with a smirk. "What is this? A flight simulator?"

Chuck shakes his head before he looks up and follows the drain pipe to see that it leads to a window on the second floor. "If we can climb the pipe, we'll already be on the second floor," Chuck informs Bryce who reluctantly looks up at Chuck.

"Splinter Cell it?" Bryce smirks under his mask. "Can you even climb that?" Bryce asks unsurely. Chuck can see the humor in his eyes.

"Shut up and climb," Chuck pushes him and he shimmies up it. Chuck follows him as he gets level with the window. Bryce carefully jumps the length and grips the windowsill. He carefully lifts himself to peek into the window. He peers into a dark room that is devoid of any life. He quietly opens the window and slithers in silently.

"It's clear," he informs Chuck over their ear piece communication radios. Chuck lets out a heavy breath before going for the jump. As he gets to the windowsill, his left hand loses grip and he feels himself start to fall as Bryce catches his hand. He helps pull Chuck into the window.

"Thanks buddy," Chuck whispers gratefully and Bryce responds with a reassuring nod. They both pull their pistols from their holsters and sneak up to the door of the window. Bryce turns the door knob with his left hand and creaks the door open so he can peek his eye out. The horizontal hallway is bright as it illuminates the room they're in from the ajar door. The room they're in is barren and thrashed with just a charred desk and a broken bookshelf.

After a few seconds, Bryce puts up his right hand with two fingers extended. _Two hostiles_, Chuck reads the hand signal. _Breach and Clear_. "Both three o' clock," Bryce whispers to Chuck. Bryce switches his hand signal to a thumbs up and Chuck assures him with a pat on the shoulder. He extends three fingers and Chuck carefully perches himself on his toes so he is ready to bust in the hallway. Bryce drops one finger, leaving two. Chuck grips his pistol tightly and wraps his left hand around the clip of the gun for extra stability and accuracy. Bryce drops the next finger leaving just one. Chuck lets out a long calming breath to cleanse himself of any nerves. Bryce drops the last finger and clenches his fist.

He quickly breaches by slipping into the hallway. Chuck is directly behind him as he quickly brings his gun to his hands and aims forward. They see the two enemies and Bryce quickly squeezes two shots and an instant later, Chuck squeezes off a shot. Chuck hesitates for half of a second and then fires a second shot in the same spot as his first one. It slipped his mind to always hit your enemy twice for reassurance. Bryce's shots were square into the chest of the enemy on the left while Chuck's hit true on the enemy to the right.

Both 'enemies' look at their chests and grunt in annoyance. They didn't expect Chuck and Bryce to come from that door so they were caught off-guard. The enemies sit down in the spot they were 'killed' in as they were instructed. "Sorry guys," Bryce whispers smugly. Chuck shakes his head in disbelief. Bryce is such a douche sometimes and a small smile forms on Chuck's lips just thinking about it.

Chuck quickly crunches the number of enemies left in his head. They slipped by the five in the courtyard. They took out two on the second floor. That leaves eight left but he doesn't know how many are on the first floor. He's guessing something like two or three because they would have more protection on the second floor than the first. At least that's what he would do.

Bryce and Chuck see two doors on the opposite side of the hallway from where they breached from. Bryce looks at Chuck with contemplation in his eyes. "You know me," Chuck jokes, "Mr. Indecisive."

Bryce lets out a small chuckle and takes the right which is farther away from the courtyard so that way the enemies wouldn't see them through any possible windows, which is quite smart now that Chuck thinks about it. The right door leads to another long hallway. This hallway is vacant and there is some broken glass along the edges. The emptiness can only mean a cluster of enemies are ahead for them. They follow the hallway for about thirty feet and get to a door. Bryce turns the doorknob but Chuck stops him with a pat on the shoulder.

He looks back at Chuck with a furrowed brow. Chuck grabs a shard of glass and Bryce immediately realizes what Chuck is thinking. Chuck hands Bryce the shard and Bryce uses the glass to look through the crease below the door. He immediately spots two enemies through the reflection. He puts up his hand to inform Chuck of the two enemies. "Twelve and two," he whispers the enemies' positions to Chuck. Chuck gives him the usual tap on the shoulder to inform him that he heard him and is ready.

Again, he puts his hand up with three extended fingers. Chuck goes through his usual ritual as he tightens his grip and lets out a long calming breath. Once Bryce clenches his fist, he quickly grips his pistol and bashes through the door. The semi-loud slam from the door startles the two enemies and both Bryce and Chuck quickly double tap the enemies in the chest. Chuck took out the guy at two o' clock while Bryce took out the guy at twelve o' clock. Chuck sees the paint spatter slowly drip down the enemies' chests and they drop their paintball guns and sit on the ground as if they were killed.

_That's two more down. That leaves six unaccounted for and five outside in the courtyard_, Chuck concludes. From this now empty room, there is only one door so again, Bryce uses the glass to look under. He finds a hallway with a single enemy. He motions to Chuck about the lone enemy and Chuck nods affirmatively. Bryce clasps the doorknob and Chuck readies his pistol aimed forward with two hands on the gun. Bryce nods his head. Three. He nods again. Two. He nods once more. One. Go!

The door opens and Chuck quickly locates the target and squeeze off two shots. Both paintballs impact and crater into the enemy's upper chest. The enemy looks down to see the pain splattered above her chest and she throws her arm in frustration before falling to the ground. "Sorry Jesse," Chuck whispers with a huge smile under his mask.

"You suck," she pouts quietly from her seated position on the floor. She knows she'd get in trouble if she talks too loud because she's supposed to be dead after all. She also knows Chuck's not sorry at all.

"Let's keep moving," Bryce grabs Chuck's arm and attention.

Chuck and Bryce walk through the fairly short hallway to a door at the end, passing a door to the left. The intel they were given said the flag should be in this room. Bryce uses the same shard of glass to peek under the door. Yet once again, he puts up how many enemies by his fingers, counting three. Not the greatest odds for the two of them. Bryce has always been the faster shot but Chuck's the more accurate shot. Bryce looks at Chuck, "I got ten and twelve. You get two. Remember, don't panic," a hint of humor seeps into the last line.

Chuck nods knowing exactly where the enemies' positions are. Chuck trusts Bryce completely. This time Chuck takes the door because Bryce has the tougher assignment. Chuck grasps the doorknob and scratches his head with the butt end of his pistol. _Stupid itchy mask_, Chuck admonishes as he relieves the itch. Chuck nods at Bryce and he nods back. He takes Chuck's usual spot as he tightens his fingers around the grip of his gun. Chuck nods again to insinuate a countdown. One last nod and Bryce is ready. He nods to Chuck and Chuck turns the doorknob and pushes the door open with his left hand while aiming his pistol in his right.

Six suppressed shots later, the three enemies see the paint on each other and sigh in frustration. _Another perfect breach_, Chuck smirks victoriously. The flag is perched upon a pedestal in the back corner of the room. They entered through the door on the right and there is another door on the left. Chuck quickly surveys the room for exits and those are the only two; where they came from and the other door. There are no windows and no air ducts to slip into. "Chuck," Bryce calls softly. "Grab the flag and I'll cover you."

"Got it," Chuck nods curtly before grabbing the flag and pocketing it. "Let's get out of here."

Bryce nods and then an instant later, alarms blare and the rooms start flashing red. "Shit," Bryce curses angrily.

"Really?" Chuck asks no one in particular as he rolls his eyes. That is just his luck. He should've pulled an Indiana Jones and replaced it with something of the same weight. Maybe it was pressure sensitive like in _The Raiders of the Lost Ark_.

"I'll go right. You go left," Bryce orders Chuck hastily.

Chuck nods before tensing up. _Wait what? He wants to split up? _"We need to stick together," Chuck retorts. _Damn Bryce trying to show off and be the hero_.

"I'll divert them from you and you'll get out successful," he hastily tells Chuck before heading through the door that is now on the right side while Chuck goes through the way they came.

"I hate you and your heroics," Chuck mutters with despair as he quickly rushes down the hallway where Jesse is grinning like a fool at Chuck with her tongue sticking out. "Screw you," Chuck quickly shoots her once in the arm. She scoffs as she grabs her arm, but cannot stifle the mirth in her expression. As Chuck makes it down the end of the hallway, he hear Bryce's voice crack in through the radio.

"I've got them funneled in the stairwell. How's it look on your side?" Bryce asks slightly out of breath.

"It's all clear on my end," Chuck informs him.

"That's good to hear," Bryce responds with a tinge of defeat in his voice. Chuck can hear his suppressed gun firing erratically and loud fire from the enemy's submachine paintball guns. Chuck knows Bryce isn't going to make it without Chuck's help. Chuck gets to the horizontal hallway that they found the first two enemies in instead of going through the door to the room they entered in, Chuck turns right and rounds his way back towards Bryce through the uncharted territory behind the door.

Chuck quickly opens it and sees an empty room. He quickly gets to the next door and busts through it. He sees three enemies firing their loud automatic submachine guns and quickly fires a shot into all three of their backs. They all feel it and look back at him. Chuck sees Bryce pop his head from the quarter wall behind the stairwell. Chuck smirks at him through the mask covering his face.

"Don't panic," Chuck quips as Bryce hurries to Chuck and grabs one of the automatic guns from the enemies. They run to the room they started in as all the enemies from the courtyard start rushing up the stairs.

"Thanks buddy," Bryce says while breathing heavily as they pass the room and get into the hallway.

"Don't thank me until we get out," Chuck says with the same labored breath as him. They enter the original room they started in and they look out the window. They don't have time to climb out and jump to the storm drain pipe so Chuck looks for the best place to land. There are two large dumpsters on the wall outside just a few feet to the left of the window. Chuck sits atop the windowsill Spiderman style and jump towards the dumpsters.

He lands on the top of the dumpster bending his knees at the perfect angle as they were trained; the plastic lid gives way a little bit as it wobbles. He quickly bounces off of it before he loses his balance and summersaults along the ground and quickly rolls out of it and stands on both his feet. He looks up to see Bryce at the windowsill. Bryce quickly mimics Chuck's actions and lands on the same dumpster. The extra strain causes fissures in the plastic lid, but it still holds him long enough to bounce off of it and land on his feet.

They both hurry to the same point they started, their extraction point, and bright lights shine down on them. "Great job trainees. You successfully recovered the objective and were able to escape successfully," A voice booms over the loudspeakers. Chuck pulls off his mask and smiles goofily at Bryce.

"Thanks for the save back there," he gives Chuck his due gratitude.

"No problem buddy," Chuck gives him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

**/**

**If you're feeling generous enough or have any ideas or tips you'd like to share, please review.**


	5. Strengthening the Friendship

**Thanks for the reviews so far. I'm working on the kinks of this story still and now the dates are more exact instead of just the months. There are warnings for torture and sex.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**February 12, 2004**

Chuck finds himself in a dark, secluded room. _What the hell is going on? Where am I? How long have I been here?_ Chuck looks around and the room is completely dark except for the lone light aimed right at his eyes and is blinding him. He tries to make out anything around him through squinted eyes, but to no avail as everything looks like a yellowish gray with the light on his face. His shirt is drenched in a layer of his own sweat. He feels like he spent a week in the slums of Brazil or something. The temperature in the room is a musty ninety-five degrees. His hands and feet are tied to the chair he is sitting on and he cannot move. He's absolutely parched. His throat is as dry as a desert and he probably hasn't eaten or drank in days. He cannot remember where he was before. _Was I on a mission? I got captured? Oh god_, he starts to freak out when he hears a door open behind him followed by ominous footsteps that are slow and consistent. The door slams with a loud bang that makes Chuck flinch.

"A bit jumpy?" An ominous voice snarls smugly with a hint of humor. Chuck recalls his torture training so he stays absolutely mute as he was instructed to do. "Ah… the silent treatment," the voice continues with the same tone. "That's not going to work in just a few minutes." _That's not scary at all_, Chuck thinks sarcastically as his mind continues to panic. He still doesn't know where the voice is coming from. "So make it easy on us and tell me who you are."

_Us, _Chuck wonders in utter fear as he stays absolutely silent once again. A bucket full of ice cold water splashes over him and drenches him down to his ankles. Chuck starts hyperventilating uncontrollably with short erratic breaths because of the freezing liquid. "Who are you?" The ominous voice is louder and angrier. Chuck continues to stay quiet while trying to get his breathing under control. "Who do you work for?" Again, silence is Chuck's answer and he hears a blade slide out of its sheathe. He sees the faint reflection gleaning off what he believes is the blade.

He feels the thin blade impress into his neck. "Who do you work for?" The voice chides with venom. _Oh god, he's going to slice my throat_. Chuck squeezes his eyes shut as he recalls all the torture training they taught him. _I have to keep quiet. Maybe Bryce knows I'm here_, Chuck desperately hopes. _Maybe he will save me before they kill me._ Chuck decides that he needs to take his mind off of the knife against his neck so he uses his imagination to extract his mind from his body.

_There are people with content smiles gathered on the benches behind me. I am wearing a formal tuxedo and am standing in the front of a line of men. Not more than five feet away, there is a line of women and Sarah is standing there smiling at me. I smile back unconsciously. She is just so beautiful. She is wearing a gorgeous teal gown that cuts off just above the knees. The other women are wearing the same thing. I look to my left and see Ellie and Devon holding hands. That is very sweet, but they are standing there for a reason. Ellie is in a gorgeous white flowing gown. She has a white veil pulled back to reveal her face. There are tears in her eyes, but they are tears of joy. She is smiling brightly while she stares into Devon's eyes. Devon is in an exquisite black tuxedo. _

_I finally realize that I'm at my own fictitious imagination of Ellie and Devon's wedding. Everyone seems so happy and I've never felt happier in my life. I watch as Ellie and Devon finally kiss as a married couple. Everyone cheers loudly at the joyous kiss between the newly married couple. I'm ecstatic to see Ellie so happy and joyful. She has done so much for me in my life and she deserves this happiness. I can feel tears of joy forming in my eyes. I never saw myself as a crying sap at weddings but I'm just so happy for Ellie. Oh god, here comes the tears. As I shed my first tear, a finger catches it on my cheek and I look over to see Sarah cupping my cheek as she glides her thumb just under my eye. Wow, she is so beautiful. Her hair is wavy and long; ending past the back of her shoulders. She has a huge smile on her face and gives me a gentle kiss on the lips. As her lips press against mine, I feel the electricity flow through me. Her soft luscious lips press into mine in a slow loving kiss._

"Stop smiling!" The voice yells and a painful electrical current constricting Chuck's body stirs him from his daydream. His mind abruptly shoots back into his head and he realizes he's back in the god forsaken hellhole being tortured instead of having the greatest dream ever. The pain decides to rear its nasty head and Chuck winces. What feels like hours later, the voice yells, "Who do you work for?" Another jarring electrical shock causes Chuck's body to tense in pain. He stays silent other than the anguished grunt and a third jolt hits him hard and continues to electrify his body for nearly ten seconds. His teeth clench in the pain as all his muscles constrict painfully and he feels his heart begging for relent. As the shock ends, his body slumps as he feels the tears emerging. _I have to stay strong. I cannot let them see this weakness out of me but the pain is so great_, Chuck fights his emotions.

A punch hammers him in the stomach and all the air in his lungs erratically evacuates like people in a building that's on fire. He chokes on the absence of air in his lungs as he feels like he's going to suffocate to death from a single punch. He tries his hardest to gasp for air but his lungs won't stop seizing. After fifteen agonizing seconds of no air, his lungs finally cooperate and suck in a huge amount of air and his chest heaves fitfully.

"Are you going to talk now?" The voice asks with a victorious tone. Chuck cannot even respond as he keeps gulping up air like fish in water. He feels the tip of the knife run along his left forearm painstakingly slow as if he is being toyed with. It is impressing into his skin leaving an imprint along his skin without penetrating the epidermis. It is like the guy is mocking him as the knife disappears only to press into Chuck's right forearm. Chuck tries to swallow but his throat is too dry and his throat sticks together making him unable to breathe for a second. This torture has been going on for what feels like hours now. Chuck doesn't know if he can stand it anymore.

A fist hammers down on his left forearm. He groans loudly and clenches every muscle in his body to keep himself from letting out a full-on bellow of anguish. _Please God, let this end already! I can't do this any longer. It hurts too much_, Chuck pleads to anyone who may be listening. The pain is pulsating through his whole body from his face to his arm. Another fist hammers down on his right forearm. The pain is unbearable as it flares up to his brain.

_Please make it stop!_ It just keeps coursing through his body like a migraine in his face and arms. "Who do you work for?" The man screams as he puts the blade up to Chuck's neck and starts to apply pressure. Chuck shuts his eyes as tight as he can. A few tears escape as he clenches his teeth and jaw to keep his mouth closed. He can feel the knife slowly starting to break the skin on his neck. _This is it. I'm going to die. I hope the CIA tells Ellie that I died honorably. Goodbye Ellie. Goodbye Devon. Goodbye Morgan. Goodbye Jesse. Goodbye Bryce. Goodbye Sarah._

All of a sudden, Chuck hears the air conditioner churn to life and the sound of lights flickering on. He can feel extra heat from the heavy amounts of light against him. He slowly peeks an eyelid open to see bright lights illuminating the entire room, but the single one is no longer blinding him. For the briefest second, he thought he was dead and in heaven when he sees Bryce standing in front of him along with Sergeant Walters. "Great job Trainee. You just survived torture," Walters smiles proudly at Chuck.

Chuck stares at him in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?" He croaks as he feels anger rise through him _I was ready to die! I was ready to give up everything… for training?_ He had come to terms with never seeing his sister again. He had come to terms with never seeing his best friends Bryce, Jesse, and Morgan again. He was coming to terms with never seeing Sarah again.

"The CIA doesn't kid," Walters states in an amused tone.

"Are you alright, buddy?" Bryce starts unbinding the ropes around Chuck's wrists and legs after seeing the pained and angry look on his face.

"I…" Chuck is speechless. He doesn't know what to say. That was the single worst moment of his life. "How long have I been here?" He rasps out because his throat is so dry.

"About an hour," Bryce answers nonchalantly. It felt like so much longer to Chuck. He thought they had held him captive for days. He's so hungry and thirsty after not eating or drinking for what felt like days.

"Water," he asks dryly. "Can I have some water?"

Walters hands Chuck a bottle of water and he starts chugging it before Bryce takes it from him. "Drink slowly. You don't want to drink too fast. Take nice and slow sips," Bryce tilts the bottle ever so slightly so Chuck gets small amounts at a time.

Chuck had recurring nightmares for the next couple days. Every nightmare was him being tortured and he couldn't do anything to stop it. They would only end when he is finally killed only to wake up in a puddle of his own sweat.

**February 23, 2004**

After only three days straight of nightmares, he was in horrible shape. He wasn't sleeping at all and he was barely able to eat anything. His body was malnourished and tired, but his mind wouldn't let it rest. "Chuck, you look like shit," Jesse informs him in an airy tone. Chuck can't even think of a retort. She is right, he hasn't slept for days and his eyes are heavy and bruised with dark bags under them. His skin is even paler than usual. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Just having trouble sleeping," Chuck waives her off like it is no big deal. He actually feels slightly embarrassed that he is having such horrid nightmares. It is a sign of weakness in his mind.

"Chuck, just tell me what's wrong. I want to help you but I can't unless you tell me what's wrong," she demands sincerely and humbly. She genuinely cares about Chuck as a friend, which is rare in this profession. It hurts her to see Chuck so down and despondent.

"I'm fine, really," Chuck pleads, not wanting to be thought of as weak-minded.

"Please Chuck," she pouts as she runs her palm gently along Chuck's frail, stubbly chin.

He looks into her eyes and sees the pain that it causes her. "Alright," he sighs acquiescingly, "I'm having a few nightmares. That's all." Chuck keeps out what the nightmares are from because he doesn't want to worry her.

"Oh Chuck," she wraps her arms around him comfortingly. "What are they about?"

"Being tortured," Chuck sighs despairingly as Jesse tightens her hold on him.

"I know it's hard," she whispers soothingly into his ear without letting go of him. "But you'll get over it. I had to go through it a couple weeks ago. I'll help you get through it. That's what friends are for," she drags Chuck to his dorm room with no possibility to stray from her plan.

"It's just…" Chuck pauses as he struggles to say it. Jesse gives him a welcoming look that urges him to continue. "I thought I was going to die. I was ready to die. I had thought about all the people that meant something to me and was scared to think how they would react to my death."

"I know, Chuck," she latches onto his side to comfort him. She went through similar thoughts during her torture. She immediately knew Chuck was too good for the spy life from the minute she met him. He doesn't have the heart to do the things that are expected of them, but she will help her best friend in the agency to the best of her abilities. As they enter his dorm room, she sits him on the bed and lays his head onto the pillow. "Just go to sleep. I'll keep the nightmares away." She slips in next to him and turns him so they are looking directly into each other's eyes. She envelops him into a warm embrace and combs his hair with her fingers to sooth him to sleep.

"Thank you but this really isn't necessary," Chuck tries to tell her but she is already combing his head with her fingers and holding his head to the pillow while wrapped around him tightly. Her fingers are so soothing and calming that Chuck can already feel his eyelids get heavy.

"Just go to sleep," she whispers softly. "I'm right here for you." Her voice lulls Chuck to sleep with help from her breath against his neck leaving a small grin on his face.

Chuck wakes up several hours later and groggily looks around his dorm until his eyes rest on the clock. _I slept for twelve hours?_ Chuck's eyes widen as he looks out the window and sees it is still dark out. Jesse is still in his arms and sleeping peacefully. She looks very cute with her little button nose twitching adorably whenever Chuck breathes on it. For once in what felt like years, he didn't have a nightmare and he actually felt refreshed.

**March, 8, 2004**

Sleeping together continued every night for the next two weeks. Chuck felt ashamed at first, but she thought of the nightmares being a good thing because it shows that he's still human. On the fourteenth day of sleeping together, Chuck slowly opens his eyes to see the cute brunette sleeping with a soft grin on her face. Her eyes slowly open to reveal two beautiful emeralds that mesmerize Chuck. "Good morning, Chuck," she whispers contently as their arms are still entwined from the night before.

"Morning," Chuck whispers and before he knows why he did it, he kisses her on the lips with a soft peck.

For an instant, Jesse freezes, but then attacks back with a fervent kiss as her tongue breaks and enters his mouth before he could react. His conscience takes a backseat to the heated passion that spontaneously stricken him as his tongue suddenly starts fighting back and his hands slide under the back of her shirt and roam her soft skin. They turn so Jesse is now straddling Chuck while she is on top of him still making out fiercely; her hair brushing against his cheeks. Her hands slide under his shirt and feel the curves of his abdomen and chest. Chuck's hands find their way south and under the hemline of her sleep shorts and panties. He pulls them down in one quick graceful tug as they pool over his lap around the bend of her knees. Her hands immediately slide down to his sweatpants and tug them lower to reveal the massive attraction he is showing towards her.

Their making out doesn't stop for even the slightest second as Chuck reaches into the first drawer of his nightstand to pull out a condom. After successfully sliding it over himself, he pulls Jesse's hips down towards him so he can slide himself inside her. She bucks back, releasing the kiss as the pleasure flows through her. Chuck spins so he is now on top of her and starts thrusting strongly inside her. She moans with every thrust until they both find themselves sharing an orgasm. Her final moan is piercingly loud as Chuck penetrates her deeply and her inner walls converge around him, releasing her desire. Chuck finds himself tightening as the feeling of her orgasm causes him to release his desire along with his stress. As they pump the rest of their heated pleasure from their bodies, they both breathe heavily as they slowly open their eyes to look at each other.

Chuck opens his eyes to see the innocent emerald green swirls in her eyes and it causes him to freak out. His eyes widen as his eyebrows fly over his hairline in shock. "Oh god," Chuck mumbles as he pulls out of her and throws the condom away. "What did I do?" He mutters worriedly to himself as he pulls his pants and boxers back up. He was completely caught up in the heat of the moment and lost all coherent control of his body.

"It's okay, Chuck," Jesse states humbly as she lays on the bed with her shorts still down to her knees.

"Why did I kiss you like that?" Chuck asks himself worriedly as he ignores her voice. He quickly pulls her shorts and panties back up as he starts pacing around the room in worry.

"Chuck," Jesse demands but he continues to ignore her as he fights an internal battle with his own morals. "Chuck!" Jesse nearly screams and he looks at her with the most feared look on his face. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I shouldn't have done that. We're friends and I didn't want to…" he trails off as he tries to think of something better to say.

Jesse stands up off the bed and walks up to Chuck. "I kissed you," she says humbly as she holds him in front so he has to look into his eyes. "This doesn't change anything in our relationship. If anything, it makes us stronger now."

Chuck looks into her bright green eyes as he sees her look satisfied and happy. "But… what we did?"

"Was sex," Jesse smiles subtly at Chuck. "There is nothing wrong with releasing a little sexual tension. It's a part of life," her smile grows wider. "And it felt amazing." Her smile turns into a satisfied smirk. She was rather surprised at how aggressive he was and it actually turned her on more to be taken like that.

"You liked it?" Chuck asks with slight surprise before trying to act cool about it. "I mean, I liked it. You were great," he fumbles over his words sheepishly.

"You're not about leave a hundred dollar bill on the nightstand, are you?" Jesse asks sarcastically as she raises a humorous eyebrow.

"Oh god," Chuck flinches back as he freaks out. "I didn't mean it that way."

"I'm kidding, Chuck," Jesse shakes her head in disbelief. "You're too easy to mess with. And yes, I liked it…" she blushes the slightest tinge of red "… a lot. I hadn't done it in a while and I'm glad it was with you, Chuck."

"So, are we still going to be friends?" Chuck asks slightly worried as he is finally starting to come around to thinking this wasn't such a bad thing that just happened. He has always heard of sex ruining friendships either with each other or a friend of the friend, so he is still slightly worried.

"Yes," Jesse hugs Chuck tightly. "You're my best friend at the academy. I don't think something as small as sex should change anything."

"So," Chuck cannot help himself as he finally sees that this is a joyous occasion. "Does that mean we're on for tomorrow morning?" He does his own rendition of the bedroom eyes as he bounces his eyebrows.

"You're such a dick," Jesses smiles brightly as she slaps Chuck playfully in the chest.

**I hope this chapter wasn't too graphic for anyone. This is still a Charah story, but Chuck is quite the amiable person. Thanks for reading this chapter.**

**Please review.**


	6. Losing A Friend

**Thanks for the reviews so far. There was an increase that really pleased me. I know, not everyone likes Chuck with another woman, but he is not a complete and total loser. He has some sex appeal and is handsome, so it is only natural that he would have sex with other people… Plus, he's only like 22 years old. There is a warning for nudity in this chapter.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**March 16, 2004**

"Hey guys," Sarah smiles happily as she walks into the dojo to meet Chuck and Bryce.

"Hey Sarah," Chuck's lips instantly curve into a content smile. Somehow, just seeing her brightens his day.

"What're learning today?" Bryce asks curiously.

"How to subdue an enemy from behind," Sarah responds casually as she walks up behind Chuck and pulls him into a chokehold.

"So… not… cool," Chuck chokes out as he feels his windpipe squeezing shut. Sarah releases him with a mirthful expression as she grins at Chuck. "Why can't we just do some computer stuff for once?" He huffs, knowing it is a joke, but acting serious.

"Because this is combat training… not Nerding 101," Sarah playfully hits Chuck in the arm.

"Chuck would *destroy* Nerding 101," Bryce quips happily. "He worked in the Nerd Herd during high school."

"Nerd Herd?" Sara raises an eyebrow in curiosity.

"The computer help desk for the BuyMore," Chuck answers slightly self-conscious that he was literally a professional nerd at one point in his life.

"Sure," Sarah nods her head as she somewhat understands what that is.

"I'm not kidding, you give this guy a computer," Bryce pats Chuck on the back in a friendly manner, "and he could work wonders from creating websites to hacking into government websites."

"Which I never actually did," Chuck replies quickly not to sound like some kind of criminal hacker.

"Of course," Sarah responds knowingly as she smirks at Chuck.

"If you ever need help with anything computer related, he's the guy," Bryce smiles charmingly.

"Good, because I don't even know how to do a simple Google search," Sarah jokingly responds. "Now enough of the nerd talks; I have to train you boys nice and good so you can save the world from impending doom."

"Well, putting it that way, you make it sound pretty awesome," Chuck grins at Sarah.

**March 29, 2004**

Chuck is sitting at the bar inside a nightclub. The stereo is thumping and the neon lights give the club a soft dark purple glow. The bar is a square around the center of the club while there are booths along the back walls. Seduction has never been one of Chuck's top skills. He wasn't exactly the most handsome guy and just the thought of seducing someone felt wrong to him. Roan expects him to seduce a female patron at the bar tonight. It's not really fair to the woman because she thinks she is going to have a great time and maybe get lucky. But in reality, Chuck has three choices: kindly tell her that nothing is going to happen, have meaningless sex with the woman, or find another crafty way of getting out of it. Sadly, tranquilizer darts are prohibited and no drugs are allowed to put the mark to sleep. They obviously don't trust Chuck or the other trainees enough yet. It's also unfair because all the female trainees just need to flash a welcoming smile and a little cleavage and the men are eating out of their open palms. It is a little tougher for men because the women aren't quite as 'open' as men.

Chuck glances to his left and sees Bryce sitting at a booth with three attractive girls. He seems to be so happy and cheery. Chuck hasn't seen that large of a smile on his best friend in some time. _It must be the girls_, Chuck muses. Chuck takes a sip of his beer when his ear piece chirps to life. "Come on, Chuck," Roan's voice admonishes. "You have all the necessary skills to do this. There's a redhead sitting across from you. I want you to seduce her."

Chuck furtively glances across the bar to see the gorgeous leggy redhead that already turned down five of Chuck's fellow trainees. This woman is definitely the most beautiful woman in the club and can easily pass for a Swedish supermodel. She even knows it with the air of confidence around her. She is wearing a gorgeous purple dress that has a little ruffling along the shoulder straps. "Are you kidding me?" Chuck whispers harshly into his microphone watch. "You couldn't tell me to find a girl with braces and pimples on her face?"

"What is so difficult about her?" Roan asks like Chuck is just being stubborn and afraid to be turned down.

"Seriously?" Chuck says in utter disbelief. "She's too beautiful to be here alone. She probably has a boyfriend."

"I know for a fact that she doesn't."

"How? She's already been turned down by five other trainees," Chuck argues adamantly in a hesitant hiss.

"The way she is sitting with her hand on her drink and the way she is craning her neck as she looks around the club shows you she is looking for someone interesting and that is you, Chuck. You have to be confident. You're not Chuck Bartowski, nerd extraordinaire. You're Charles Carmichael, dashing software magnate who is rich enough to buy himself three supermodels just as gorgeous as her. Look, there's even a seat open next to her. Take it and spark up a conversation." Roan knows that Chuck can be a successful seducer but he just isn't confident in himself. He needs to understand that he is a great looking guy and this is the perfect chance for him to figure that out once and for all.

Chuck tenses up as he starts to freak out.

"Now!" Roan demands.

"Alright," Chuck huffs as he walks around the bar to the empty seat. _Don't panic,_ he tells himself as he steps up to the woman. "Is this seat taken?" Chuck asks with a charming smile.

"Nope, I've been saving it for you," the redhead says with a small smile.

"Thank you," Chuck takes the seat and puts his hand out. "Charles Carmichael."

"Maria Elena," she shakes his hand sincerely. Chuck immediately feels an aura around her that just exudes confidence and sexiness.

"It looks like you're running empty," Chuck muses as he eyes her empty martini glass. "How 'bout another one?"

"Martini, dry, and dirty," she grins seductively at Chuck. "Very, very dirty."

"Okay," Chuck's voice raises about three octaves as he feels her left hand brush up against his upper thigh.

"My kind of girl," Roan muses amusedly in Chuck's earpiece.

Chuck pulls out his CIA issued credit card as they said they will pay for whatever is needed to be successful. He already saw a couple trainees taking advantage of it and drinking quite a lot. Maria eyes the card for a brief second. The bartender sees the card and walks up to them with a questioning look.

"Two martinis. One dry and dirty, the other shaken, not stirred. Two olives in each," Chuck states coolly as he hands the card over from between his index and middle finger as if he has his own aura of confidence around him.

The bartender nods and disappears with the card.

"So… Charles Carmichael," Maria states before Chuck interrupts her.

"Please, call me Chuck," Chuck smiles charmingly.

"Alright, Chuck," Maria smiles brightly at him. "What job does a man like you find himself doing?"

"Software," Chuck shrugs nonchalantly. "Just designing computer programs and what not."

"Oh," Maria nods pretending to care. She's not going to make it the easiest thing for him.

"You're losing her, Chuck. Ask her what she is doing here alone," Roan states quickly.

"So… what does a beautiful woman such as yourself do at a bar alone?" Chuck asks suavely as the bartender returns with their drinks and his card. Again, she eyes the card as he signs his name.

"Just looking for someone to share a drink with," Maria states mirthfully as she lifts her drink. "Cheers," they clink their glasses together before taking a sip.

"I'm glad I could appease you then. I couldn't help but notice the number of people you turned down. Why me?"

"Why not? You look interesting and seem like a nice guy," Maria shrugs innocently as she takes another sip.

"Why thank you," Chuck tips his drink to her before taking a sip.

"Lighten up a little," she pats his thigh with her left hand and gives him a squeeze. "Have some fun. I'm guessing a guy like you is all business, huh?" Maria makes sure her hand remains resting on his thigh.

"Well, I'm looking to retire soon. Maybe do some boating in my free time," Chuck shrugs nonchalantly in a boastful manner.

"You must be *well-endowed,* Chuck," she grins seductively as she turns towards him; her hand sliding up his thigh and closer to his crotch.

"I guess so," Chuck remains cool and collected, no matter how much his inner personality is freaking out about the close proximity of her hand to his genitals.

"That's it, you're getting her," Roan praises through the ear piece. "Woman love rich men."

"So you have a boat?" Her hand slides a litter closer to his crotch as she grins suggestively.

"Well, *technically,* a yacht," Chuck takes another sip of his martini in the manner Roan taught him on the first day.

"Do you have a mansion?" She asks hopefully with lust filling in her eyes.

"In L.A… sure. I'm only here on a business trip and thought I would get a little R & R in," Chuck says casually as he is finally falling into the confident man he could be.

"So, where're you staying? I know all the best hotels," Maria grins seductively. Chuck is almost certain her pinky finger is now on the edge of his crotch.

"Tell her wherever you want. The CIA will foot the bill," Roan says happily. He is ecstatic to see Chuck doing so well and acting so confident. His plan is working perfectly and Chuck will have to thank him later.

"Depends," Chuck grins brightly with slight mischievousness. "What's the nicest one?"

"Well, the Ritz-Carlton is nice, but my favorite is the Jefferson. They have *really* comfy beds," she smiles suggestively at him as her pinky finger is now over his crotch.

"Then the Jefferson is where I'm staying tonight," Chuck states as he places his right hand on the top of her ass over her dress.

"What do you say we get out of here and take the party to your hotel then?" She asks as her hand brushes up and down his crotch before she retracts it.

"After you," Chuck turns with a naughty smile as he points towards the door.

Chuck has his hand on her ass while she walks beside him and out of the nightclub. Chuck hails a taxi down and they take it to the Jefferson hotel. Inside the confines of his mind, he is freaking out as he is running out of time to somehow get out of the inevitable sex that is in the immediate future. They arrive and Chuck leaves a fat tip and Maria clings onto his side as she squeezes his ass a little tighter than he expects, but he somehow keeps his cool. Again, Chuck's hand finds itself on her ass cheek as they walk up to the front desk.

"I'd like a room for the night," Chuck hands the hostess his CIA credit card with a charming smile.

"One bed would be preferable," Maria states huskily as she slides a little closer to Chuck and gives him another affectionate squeeze of his ass cheek as the hostess finds a room on the computer.

"I found one on the seventh floor. Room 723," the hostess smiles welcomingly at the couple.

"That's perfect," Chuck nods as the hostess hands him the keys and his credit card. "Thank you," Chuck curtly nods as he takes Maria up to the seventh floor. They share a few seductive glances at each other while waiting for the elevator to ascend to the seventh floor. Chuck's mind is still panicking because he doesn't want to have a one night stand, but doesn't know how to get out of it. As Chuck enters the room, his eyes widen at the size of it. There is a balcony that looks over the city and the bathroom has a full hot tub bath with a shower next to it. The bed is king size and has royal red and gold blankets and pillows. He's never been in such a luxurious hotel in his life. He was never a very rich person with his parents leaving him and Ellie to fend for themselves.

"I'm going to slip into something a little more comfortable," Maria states seductively as she walks to the bathroom. She lets the shoulder strap of her dress drop down her arm and she peeks back seductively. She closes the door and Chuck finally realizes what is about going to happen. He starts freaking out.

"What the hell do I do now?" Chuck whispers harshly into his microphone watch as worry exudes from his tone.

"You pleasure her, Charles," Roan states like it is obvious.

"I can't do that," Chuck worriedly states.

"Yes you can. Now show that woman the man you are. All of the man you are," Roan states amusedly. Chuck is one of those rare recruits who doesn't want to learn how to seduce women for sex. It flabbergasts Roan because who doesn't like sex? But he's about to make Chuck a happy man… well, technically Maria is, but not without Roan's help.

"I don't have any protection," Chuck hisses as he didn't think his night would end up like this.

"Check your back right pocket," Roan says amusedly.

Chuck feels his pocket and the bulge of three condoms that he somehow didn't notice before. "You suck," Chuck mutters in defeat as he pulls the condoms from his pocket to inspect them.

The bathroom door opens to reveal the leggy redheaded supermodel standing in just her red laced lingerie. There is a devilish grin on her face with an odd twinkle in her eye that suggests she is in absolute lust. "I'm glad you came prepared," she smirks seductively at seeing all three condoms. _This is going to be a fun night,_ she thinks happily as she expects to use all three condoms.

Chuck swallows a large lump in his throat as he reluctantly transforms himself back into the rich confident magnate, Charles Carmichael. _Looks like I need to take one for the team… or three._

**March, 30, 2004**

Chuck slowly opens his eyes as he looks around after the long night and restful sleep. He notices he is in a lush hotel room and then he feels something in his hands. They are warm, soft, and have small tender protrusions on them. Chuck's eyes widen as he sees the red mop in front of him and if the woman is anatomically correct, then his hands are on her breasts at this particular moment. He tries to pull them away when she mumbles softly and pulls his arms tighter around her.

All the events of last night flood his mind and he remembers the gorgeous leggy supermodel that he had the pleasure of pleasuring. "Maria?" Chuck asks softly.

"Good morning, Chuck," She mumbles sleepily as she turns to look at him. "Thanks for the lovely night," she grins brightly as she glances past him to see the three empty condom wrappers on the nightstand.

"You're welcome," Chuck responds slightly shaky before remembering that he has to get back into character as a confident rich magnate. He is going to hate himself for this, but it has to be done. "I had a great time last night, but I'm not looking for anything serious." The chivalrous modest nerd inside him admonishes him greatly for being so rude to a woman, but he cannot break character now.

"I never said I was," she smiles brightly, much to Chuck's relief. That means she just wanted to have some fun in bed and not someone to confide in and love. Chuck lets out a quiet sigh at the relief before he steps out of the bed and has to hold in the blush when he notices he is completely nude. "Have you seen my boxers?" Chuck asks curiously as he gingerly pinches her bra and lifts it off the floor.

Maria slides out of the blankets from her side as she sees his boxers lying on the ground. She picks them up and grins at Chuck. "Trade?"

Chuck looks at her fully nude body and he freezes. She is extremely beautiful from head to toe. Her thin taut body is something you only see in model magazines except for the small amount of clothing is missing in this case, and Chuck definitely cannot complain about the tiny flame of red hair growing from her crotch. His jaw slightly droops as his eyes widen at seeing such perfect curves.

"Well?" she looks at him with slight confusion. He didn't seem this spacy last night when they were doing… carnal things.

Chuck remembers he is a rich software magnate who sees women like that on a daily basis and not the computer nerd who fantasizes of women of her caliber. "Sure," Chuck chirps cheerily as he walks around to trade; breaking himself from his stupor. He slides the boxers on quickly and he feels great relief to be covered up.

"I can't find my panties anywhere," Maria giggles as she looks under the bed. "We had quite a night."

"Yea," Chuck scratches his head unsurely as his eyes dart around for the missing garment. "Oh, there they are." He picks them up from behind the sixty inch plasma television screen.

"Thanks," she takes them from him and slides them on.

After they are both completely dressed, Maria makes her way to the door. "Thanks for the amazing night, Chuck. Maybe we can do it again sometime," she flashes a seductive smirk before leaving the room. As the door shuts behind her, she deviously thinks how she just made Chuck the talk of the town.

Chuck stands there flabbergasted at the events that just happened. He didn't even have a chance to say goodbye or buy her breakfast or whatever he's supposed to do after a one night stand. He had never had a one night stand before, not including the morning he woke up in some girl's bed after a night of very heavy drinking. He still had his boxers on, but the girl only had her panties on so he wasn't sure if they actually had sex or not. This time, he obviously did, but he didn't enjoy it as much as he would've if he actually got to know Maria first and became better friends before jumping in bed. He honestly felt a little dirty for jumping into bed with a woman he barely knows. Chuck has always felt more of a connection with people he knows and has feelings for, unlike a woman he just met that night.

"Congratulations, Charles," Roan's voice chirps in his forgotten ear piece. His tone is filled with amusement and pride. "I knew you had it in you. You had her moaning louder than a horse in heat."

Chuck gets over the initial shock of hearing Roan's voice. "Gross," he cringes at the image Roan just put in his head.

**March 30, 2004**

Chuck, Bryce, and Jesse are eating lunch at the cafeteria in the Farm. Chuck is still a little self-conscious about his sexscapade last night. He isn't a boastful type of person and just feels slightly dirty for having a one night stand; no matter the beauty of the woman. Bryce starts explaining the events of last night in his perspective, much to Chuck's dislike. Chuck can already feel a blush coming.

"Yea, I was just relaxing with some girls the whole night," Bryce nonchalantly explains to Jesse with a shrug. "Then this guy!" He hits Chuck on the shoulder playfully. "A real ladies man over here," Bryce grins foolishly as Jesse furrows his brow. Chuck's blush appears and darkens at the inevitable direction of the conversation.

"What do you mean," Jesse asks as she stares straight into Chuck's shifty eyes. "The last I saw you, Chuck, you were sitting at the bar alone. I thought I was going to have to be your wingman," Jesse chuckles jokingly.

"Wingman?" Bryce raises an eyebrow in incredulity. "He didn't even come home last night," Bryce laughs heartily. "He obviously didn't need any help. You should've seen this girl. She was a smoking hot redhead that could've been a supermodel for Victoria's Secret. Somehow she chooses this nerd over all the other recruits. How does that work?"

Jesse tunes out everything after hearing Chuck didn't come back to the Farm last night. Chuck just jumped into bed with another person for a one night stand after having sex with her? Maybe she figured Chuck out wrongly. She thought he was a sweet guy who treated women better than that, but apparently he is just as chauvinistic as the rest of the recruits. Now she feels horrible, and a little unclean, for letting Chuck fuck her that one time.

Chuck can see the anger and hurt forming in Jesse's eyes and quickly comes up with the truthful explanation. "I had no way out," Chuck pleads nervously. He and Jesse may not be a couple, but Chuck doesn't want his reputation of being a chivalrous man to be tainted. "I didn't want to. I swear, but Roan practically forced me. I had no other choice," Chuck lowers his head in shame. "I'm sorry," he says devastated and despondently.

"What do I care," Jesse innocuously shrugs with an unnatural bitterness to her tone, but she can see that Chuck is really beating himself up over it. "It's not like we're dating or anything," her bitterness lessens but is still present.

"Chuck, it's not something to hide," Bryce explains mirthfully with a tinge of jealousy. He has no idea that Chuck and Jesse shared an intimate moment together. "I mean, she makes everyone in our classes look like a walrus!"

"I'm in your class, Bryce," Jesse deadpans with a tinge of anger. She steals another glance at Chuck and he still looks saddened at what he did. If Chuck is this despondent after a one night stand, she can't imagine how he will be when he has to kill someone. She is dreading her first kill too.

"You know what I mean," Bryce rolls his eyes. "I'm talking about actual girls," Bryce elaborates.

"Thanks," Jesse chides sarcastically. "So, what happened with you last night, Bryce?"

"Had a little fun with a petite brunette named Sandy," Bryce shrugs nonchalantly.

"You didn't take her back to the Farm, did you?" Jesse assures with widened eyes. "That's against regulations."

"No, I rented a motel room for a few hours. I'm not that stupid," Bryce grins as he remembers the night of pleasure.

Jesse tries her best not to look hurt as she forces a small smile onto her face. She seduced a guy successfully last night, but once they made it outside the club, she left him by faking a phone call that her fictitious sister needed to be picked up. Sure, she could've just been a whore like the two girls Chuck and Bryce seduced, but she isn't that kind of person.

Chuck has been friends with Jesse for nearly a year now and he can tell she looks slightly pained and he blames his one night stand on it.

**April 22, 2004**

Chuck and Bryce are standing in the dojo that they've been training with Sarah for just about the last year. Chuck and Bryce have progressed magnificently with the help of Sarah's training. She is a great instructor because she doesn't push them with screams and insults, but instead shows them their mistakes and how to fix them while teaching them new techniques.

Sarah walks in with a despondent smile on her face. She was greatly enjoying training the two men. They were courteous of her other than Bryce's ridiculous attempt to hit on her during their first meeting. She still has to laugh at the memory of Bryce's manhood under the sole of her shoe. He didn't have a chance of beating her back then. He still doesn't stand much of a chance, but now, with the help of her training, Sarah is certain that Bryce would be able to hold his own quite well against her. Even Chuck could hold himself in a fight with her, but she would ultimately beat both of them in the end. A girl needs to keep some secrets to herself after all.

Chuck was like the teacher's pet if that was possible in a class of two. He would do exactly as Sarah would instruct without second-guessing her at all. He trusted her and absorbed everything she ever told him like a sponge. She quickly realized how intelligent Chuck is and he could be a real asset to the CIA because he doesn't forget anything he learns. His only downside is he is too hard on himself. He doesn't like pushing himself to be greater than he already is. The limitations are endless if he just grew some confidence in himself.

"What's up?" Chuck asks with concern, seeing the saddened look on Sarah's face.

"Looks like I'm moving up in the world," Sarah looks into Chuck's eyes with slight sadness. It really is a bittersweet moment for her because she loves missions but she was having a great time teaching the two men because they were attentive, sincere, and humorous. Humor is a rare commodity in the spy life.

"What do you mean?" Bryce curiously asks a second before Chuck was going to ask the same question.

"I got a new assignment. I probably won't be seeing you guys again," she sighs slightly despairingly, "or at least not for a while."

"That sucks," Chuck voices as his heart cringes in pain. He was really starting to take a liking to Sarah. She is absolutely amazing, beautiful, smart, and even though she won't admit it, funny. Chuck really cares for her and always feared the day that he and Bryce would surpass Sarah's training or she had to leave for a mission. She has become a great friend to Chuck over the time they've been training and will always hold a place in his heart.

"Yea, it does," Sarah says truthfully as she sees the sad look on Chuck's face as his shoulders shrug.

"How 'bout one last duel for old time's sake?" Bryce asks with a sad smile. "Maybe we can see who wins the bet this time?"

"I'd like too," Sarah smiles sadly. She really would. She could imagine a date with Chuck being sincere, lovely, gorgeous setting, and the perfect meal. Chuck is the epitome of the perfect gentleman and Sarah wouldn't mind being loved by him because he would love her with all his heart. Bryce is a great guy too; a bit of a douche at times, but he is nice, smart, and funny. Plus, he's not bad on the eyes… not at all. "I really would," she glances back into Chuck's eyes before looking at Bryce. "But I have my debriefing in thirty minutes. I just wanted to tell you guys in person."

"Well, thank you," Chuck says from the bottom of his heart. "You've taught us so much and have really made the CIA more enjoyable."

Sarah can hear the sorrow in his voice and it makes her feel a little worse about the new revelations in their careers. She doesn't know what came over her, but she pulls Chuck into a caring hug. She squeezes him affectionately as his arms wrap around her and she molds into his embrace. It is the warmest and comforting feeling she has ever experienced. She finally pulls away from the hug and looks at Bryce with a saddened smile. She wraps her arms around him and squeezes tightly. After releasing the hug, she looks at the two men. "Goodbye guys. It has been fun." _The most fun I've ever had,_ her mind elaborates for her.

"Yea," Bryce nods sadly. "It definitely has been."

"Goodbye Chuck," she smiles at him before looking to Bryce. "Goodbye Bryce."

"Goodbye," Bryce responds.

"Goodbye Sarah," Chuck says as he has to fight his emotions from pouring out.

"Guys," Sarah smiles one last time at them as she gets to the entrance of the dojo. "Don't panic," she states just before leaving.

"Bye Sarah," Chuck says under his breath as he watches the woman he has been quickly falling for walk out of the room for what could be the rest of his life.

**April 22, 2004**

Sarah steps into the waiting area and smiles sincerely at Jennifer Trough, Director Langston Graham's secretary. "Hello, Agent Walker," the Jennifer smiles back in a friendly manner. "Graham's been waiting for you. Go on in."

"Thank you," Sarah nods with a small smile before walking into the office. Graham is sitting at his desk with three women Sarah has never seen in her life leisurely waiting around. _They must be other agents that are pertinent to my new assignments_, Sarah muses analytically.

"Ah, Agent Walker," Graham smiles thinly. "Welcome to your new team."

Sarah looks around and her brow knits in confusion. "An all-female team?" Sarah questions in surprise. They usually set teams of two, one male and one female, so this is a change of pace for her.

"No man here to scratch that itch between your legs?" The redheaded woman asks sarcastically with mock pity.

"Well, fuck you too," Sarah nods with a fake plastered smile as she looks at Graham with an annoyed expression.

"That would be the DEA's finest Agent Carina Miller," Graham again smiles thinly. "This is Agent Zondra Rizzo," Graham gives a pointed look to the tan brunette who nods. "And Agent Amy Barrett," he gives another pointed look to the perky blonde.

"Hi, Sarah," she smiles brightly.

Sarah gives another look at Graham that reads 'this is complete bullshit.'

"Walker, you're going to have to work together if you want to take down South America's biggest terrorist organization," Graham gives her the ultimatum of their joining together; greatly piquing her interest.

**As you can see, Chuck gets some action. Cue the porno music. In all seriousness, this is still a Charah story. Chuck is an adequate person and even on the show, he had multiple 'lovers' so don't be hating. Be participating.**

**Please review.**


	7. Early Graduation

**Thanks for all the reviews so far. They are the essence of this story. I understand everyone's trepidations with Chuck being with other women and no Charah, but "patience is virtue" or however that quote goes. This story is going to be eventual Charah and this is more a prologue to the main plot than anything else.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**May 12, 2004**

Training just hasn't been the same without Sarah. The new trainer, Agent Marks, is an old school drill sergeant type. He yells, pushes, and demands, unlike Sarah. Chuck has really been struggling and this guy isn't making it any easier. They are learning advanced close quarters combat against an armed enemy. Marks has a plastic replica of an AK-47 assault rifle in his hands and they need to apprehend him successfully.

"Alright, Bartowski," Marks orders loudly. "Stop me from killing you." Marks is on the mat with his gun aimed at Chuck's face from two feet away. After being instructed, Chuck ducks and with his left arm lifts the gun upwards so Marks cannot get a shot on him. Marks releases his left hand and hammers it down on Chuck's collarbone causing Chuck to wince in pain. "Too slow, Bartowski! Speed it up and hit my forearm, not the gun!"

"Yes, sir," Chuck states slightly dejected as he tries again, but again fails to do it fast enough as Marks elbows Chuck in the face.

"Dammit!" Marks grumbles in annoyance. "You're never gonna pass with this pitiful performance. Larkin, let me see what you can do."

Chuck sighs dejectedly as he drags his feet to the bench. Ever since Sarah left, he's been diminishing quickly. It's almost like he lost most of the will to succeed. And he knows why. Seeing Sarah's smile everyday was one of the bright spots of each day. He despondently watches as Bryce successfully knocks the weapon away and with a quick gut punch, puts Marks out of action for long enough for Bryce to finish him if he were a real enemy.

"Come on, Bartowski!" Marks nearly shouts. "Larkin's got it down. Now I want to see you do it."

"Yes, sir," Chuck nods as he makes his way back to the mat.

"It's not that tough," Bryce whispers for motivation. "Just go for the gut punch the instant your left hand contacts his left forearm."

"Thanks," Chuck nods as he makes it back into position on the mat.

"Alright, Bartowski," Marks looks at him as he gets into position. "Stop me from killing you!" Chuck instantly ducks and pushes with his left hand onto Marks' left forearm. The instant Chuck contacts Marks' forearm, he uses his momentum for a strong uppercut into Marks' gut. Marks lets out an anguished breath at the powerful hit as Chuck had a lot of anger pent up from how Marks was treating him. "Good," Marks coughs as he tries to catch his breath. "That's more like it, Bartowski."

"Yes, sir," Chuck turns away from Marks and smirks deviously after the uppercut. _Bitch,_ Chuck chides.

**June 2, 2004**

"We've waited a long time for this," Graham states into the intercom on his desk with slight excitement.

"Are you sure this will work?" The voice asks worriedly through the phone.

"Professor Fleming, you told me Bartowski was the highest percentage you've ever recorded in history."

"Yes, he was in the ninety-eight percentile on image retention," Fleming states with a tinge of pride for his own student.

"So, he's perfect for the project then," Graham states with no room for argument.

"I just don't like the idea. All of the government's databases put into someone's head," Fleming pauses with a long sigh. "I understand the theory is completely feasible, but without Orion's firsthand knowledge at our hands, this may not work how we've hoped."

"What are you saying, Professor?" Graham asks curiously with slight annoyance.

"It's just we've never tried to put so much into one person. It could overload his brain and put him into a coma or even to the point of death."

"We've been perfecting this since 9/11 happened," Graham states matter-of-factly. "My scientists have already assured me that it is completely functional and ready. We don't need Orion for this. He's not the only one who could create an Intersect."

"Successfully, I'm afraid so," Fleming sighs in despair. There is no way he could convince Graham that this is a bad idea. "If you're going to give him the upload, just be careful and have doctors on staff. I just don't know how a file so large will affect the human brain."

"I will be sure to take all the necessary precautions," Graham acknowledges seriously. The last thing he wants to do is cause insanity in agents. "I have complete faith in my staff to get this operational and trust that it will work fine."

**June 4, 2004**

Roan is walking around the class giving every student a few words of praise and encouragement. As he walks up to Chuck, he smiles proudly. "I knew you had it in you. You just needed… a confidence boost," his smile is almost infectious. Chuck, realizing he was handsome and suave enough to pick up a girl as beautiful as Maria gave him the courage to not only be able to seduce a woman, but to do it nearly flawlessly.

"Thank you, sir," Chuck nods appreciatively.

As Roan finishes his round of the each individual student, he steps back up to the front of the class. He fills his daily martini glass and places a plastic sword with two green olives skewered on it into his glass. "I'm very proud of all of you," he pauses to take a long sip. "You've all done me proud. Congratulations on passing the Inducement of Enemy Personnel. Before I let you go, I have a few last words to leave you with." He pauses again as if this is the most important information he could possibly plant in someone's head. "Spies do not fall in love. I repeat, do not fall in love. It will only get you and your lover killed."

**June, 5, 2004**

"I guess congratulations are in order," Sergeant Marks states bitterly in the dojo. "I don't think you deserve it, Bartowski, but the higher-ups think you're ready. So, I *reluctantly* have to pass you," Marks salutes to Chuck.

"Thank you, sir," Chuck salutes back professionally; although his is angered by the insult.

"Don't thank me," Marks ashamedly insults Chuck. "If it was up to me, you wouldn't have even passed basic training in the army." Marks then turns to Bryce. "I think you could still get better Larkin, but at least you're adequate." Marks salutes to Bryce.

"Thank you, sir," Bryce returns the salute.

"You're both dismissed."

**June 26, 2004**

Sarah Walker teamed with Carina Miller are walking through a chaotic party in a lush mansion in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Sarah takes a furtive glance to her right to see her other two partners, Zondra and Amy, teamed together. This mission should be the downfall of Augusto Gaez, a terrorist in a terrorist organization called 'The Gentle Hand' that deals in people and drug trafficking while controlling many businesses with their own terms. They received Intel that said this was his mansion and he's throwing this party they're attending under aliases. He has always somehow eluded them in the past, but this is the closest they've been. Sarah is feeling optimistic about capturing him once and for all.

Sarah and Carina make their way down a hallway to see if they can find Gaez's office while Zondra and Amy keep an eye on Gaez at the party. Sarah and Carina sneak through the hallway as they make their way into the more residential area of the mansion. The music from the party is quickly dampening as they make their way deeper into the mansion. They turn down a hallway and continue when they hear a man's footsteps walking towards them. Carina reacts impulsively and pushes Sarah against the wall and presses her lips to Sarah's. Sarah's eyes widen at the unexpected maneuver. Before she could react, Carina's tongue finds its way into Sarah's mouth; tasting every crevice.

"Nice," the man drawls while gawking with an amused smile as he holds his submachine gun along his hip.

Carina lets out a loud offended huff as her eyes widen and her jaw drops. "Screw you, you perv!" Carina says in offense as she glares daggers at the man.

"There's a bedroom three doors down," the man smirks before letting the two female lovers continue their assault on each other, thinking they are just two lesbians in love with each other and want to have some fun in a bedroom.

"What the hell?" Sarah growls angrily as she wipes her mouth with the back of her wrist.

"Sorry, Walker," Carina smirks deviously. "I had to think fast."

"Was the tongue absolutely necessary?" Sarah narrows her eyes at the redhead.

"Probably not, but I was kind of curious how you taste," Carina says mirthfully as they continue through the hallway.

"Well?" Sarah conjectures.

"Well, what?" Carina looks at her partner in confusion.

"Did I taste good enough for your standards?" Sarah asks as the amusement seeps into her tone.

"Top of the list," Carina grins as they find Gaez's office.

They both sneak in and Carina closes the door quietly behind them. After making sure there aren't any cameras, Sarah walks up to the computer and powers it up. She quickly searches the computer for any files that could help them find evidence on Gaez's trafficking and hopefully end 'The Gentle Hand.'

After searching for a couple minutes, Carina looks at the blonde in impatience. "Well? What's taking so long?"

"It's clean," Sarah responds in slight shock. "It's like he knew that we were coming so he cleaned the computer of everything."

"What do you mean *everything*?" Carina cocks an eyebrow as she makes her way behind the computer to check.

"I mean everything is gone. Not a single file on this computer. This computer is either brand new or it was just restored. And this is definitely not a new computer," Sarah muses as she sees the old heavy contraption by her feet with a thin layer of dust over it.

"That can't be right. He couldn't have known we were coming. The only people who knew about this mission were the C.A.T. Squad and Graham," Carina states agitatedly as she tries to figure out how Gaez could've been tipped off.

"And Graham wouldn't betray us," Sarah states confidently as she looks at Carina with reserved judgment. "Where were you before this mission?" She bitterly interrogates the redhead.

"Whoa, I was with you the whole time," Carina responds truthfully as she puts her hands up in innocence. "All four of us have been together since we learned the mission details."

"Then, how would he know?" Sarah huffs in annoyance. She doesn't like unsuccessful missions… not one bit.

"I didn't tell anyone about this mission," Carina verily states.

"Then who? Zondra? Amy?" Sarah asks no one in particular when a light bulb illuminates her mind. "Dammit! It has to be one of them. Didn't they get split up earlier at the party?"

"Yea, Zondra lost sight of Amy, but couldn't leave her post on watching Gaez," Carina responds.

"Well, it had to be one of them then," Sarah slams her fist on the desk. "They must've contacted Gaez and tipped him off when they got separated. We need to go about this smartly. We can't just blame one or the other."

"How're we gonna find enough evidence?" Carina asks in curiosity. It annoys her too that someone must've been mistrustful in their team. They worked so well together and now they would betray them for this sick pathetic creep, Gaez. The man is a complete sleaze ball who raids small villages and kidnaps all the residents, while killing the sick, handicapped, and insubordinate.

"I don't know," Sarah sighs despairingly. "How do you think Gaez got to them? Money? Protection?"

"If it's money, then one of their bank accounts has to have some hefty deposits."

"Alright," Sarah looks into the redhead's blue eyes. "We need to check both of their accounts when we have a chance. And make sure they don't have any offshore accounts. We also need to check their equipment and gear and make sure there aren't any bugs."

"Let's do this, Walker," Carina nods and puts her hand out to make sure it is a mutual deal. "Off the books."

"We're taking her down," Sarah takes the hand in agreement. They need to find this traitor and stop her before she gets them killed. A strong bond forms between two people working towards the same goal.

**July 6, 2004**

Chuck is sitting on the bed in his dorm room. He has just about finished all of his training. He and Bryce are virtually official agents. Chuck is relaxing on his bed with his hands interlaced behind his head. He thinks about everything that has happened in his life: his mother leaving him when he was nine, his father leaving a few years later, graduating from Stanford, and training to be a CIA agent. He hasn't talked to Ellie in at least a month. Bryce was gone for the last few days, which was mysterious of him. Whenever he tried to ask any of the superiors, they told him not to worry about it and just deflected his question. Chuck and Jesse have become even better friends if that is even possible. Chuck was afraid it would get weird after the sex, but they've grown closer in almost a brother-sister relationship. She is there for him and he is there for her. She is almost done with her training too and has already passed seduction, firearms, and the fitness test. Chuck had a ball with that last test. He has really grown from the un-athletic lanky nerd he was when he started training. Now he can run a good five miles straight and lift a couple hundred pounds. He could probably compete with Captain Awesome in a crunch or push-up contest. The door opens, which breaks Chuck from his musing as Bryce walks in. Chuck lifts his head off his pillow in curiosity. "Hey Bryce, where've you been?"

Bryce sits on his bed and looks at Chuck very formally. "Please sit up," Bryce states unemotionally.

"Are you alright, buddy?" Chuck asks with a furrowed brow as he sits normal on the bed.

"Chuck," Bryce pulls out an envelope out of nowhere. "Here is your final mission before you become a fully-fledged agent."

"What?" Chuck takes the manila folder in astonishment.

"In the folder lies your last mission," Bryce states as he tries to hide the shame in his tone. Bryce hates that he has to be the one to administer Chuck's last and final exam. "Your mission is to cut the loose end."

"The loose end?" Chuck quirks an eyebrow. _That doesn't sound ominous,_ Chuck sarcastically muses. "What are you talking about Bryce? And why are you acting so weird?"

"Chuck," Bryce sighs in despondence. "Don't panic. Your mission is to kill that man. The CIA wants him dead and you've been elected to end him."

"I have to… kill him?" Chuck looks at the fairly normal man in the picture inside the folder. He is about forty-five years old, light brown hair, and dark eyes.

"Yes, you will be meeting him under the pretense of an enemy agent."

"Why do I have to kill him?" Chuck asks worriedly. He knew this was coming sooner or later, but he still isn't sure if he can kill someone.

"He's been selling government secrets to terrorist organizations. This is what the CIA does. They plug leaks in their system."

Chuck looks at his best friend as he studies him. Chuck doesn't understand how he could be so calm about telling Chuck to kill someone. Bryce knows that Chuck has always had this phobia, and now he is forcing Chuck to do it. "Bryce, I don't know if I can kill him. What if he has a family?"

"He doesn't," Bryce replies coldly.

"I… I still don't know if I could take someone's life," Chuck confesses fearfully. "It's not my right to take something like that from someone."

"You have to! It's either kill him or you're not a spy!" Bryce shouts at Chuck angrily. Chuck flinches back at the unexpected outburst. Bryce sighs heavily as he looks across to his best friend. "I'm sorry Chuck. It's just I kind of just had my Red Test. I had to kill someone. It wasn't easy."

"Is that why you were gone?" Chuck's eyes widen in surprise.

"Yea," Bryce looks for solace in his innocent friend. "They forced the same decision down my throat and made me do it to you. Chuck," Bryce pauses as he once again looks into the inviting eyes of Chuck, "if you don't kill him, then you'll never be a spy."

"But I can't just kill someone," Chuck laments as he throws his arms up. "I don't even know him!"

"It's better that way. If you had a personal relationship with him, then it would just make it tougher. Look," Bryce drops his head ashamedly before looking back up, "I know you don't want to kill this man, but I will do my best to help you. If you're going to be a CIA agent, you can't be afraid to kill though."

"I… I know," Chuck sighs despairingly. "How does it feel?" He asks humbly. "To take someone's life away?"

"It…" Bryce wants to tell him about the nightmares and the horrible feeling of being a murderer, but that would just make Chuck less likely to comply. "It doesn't feel any different."

"Are you sure?"

"Yea, you get over it pretty quick. Maybe a slight shock at first but then you realize that you are helping your country and saving hundreds of lives."

"Okay," Chuck trusts Bryce's judgment so he studies the photo before him. "I guess you're going to be killed by my hands, Blaine Jackson," Chuck hesitantly states to the frontal image of his mark.

"I'll try to be there to help you out," Bryce says as he places a friendly hand on Chuck's shoulder.

"Thanks," Chuck says graciously.

**July 7, 2004**

Chuck walks through the crowded streets of downtown Washington D.C. He pats the slight bulge of his standard issue semi-automatic Sig Sauer P226. It isn't his favorite gun as he favors the more accurate handguns like the Heckler and Hoch USP .45, but this will have to do. He turns into an alley and the loud noises of the crowd almost instantly dissipate. He follows the directions he was given and finds the single red door on his left. He enters the door leading him into a dark room. Chuck's senses are kicking into overdrive as he looks for any possible movements in fear of a trap.

Once he is satisfied he is safe enough, he continues to the next door which leads him to a lighted room with a single table. His target, Blaine Jackson, is pacing uneasily back and forth once Chuck enters the room. He instantly stops his on-edge pacing and looks at Chuck. "Are you Carmichael?" He asks conspiratorially in a low whisper.

"Yes," Chuck nods curtly. His emotions are building inside him as he makes direct contact with the man he is supposed to kill.

"Oh thank god," the man sighs in relief. "The CIA is out to get me and I knew *they* would come through after all I've given you."

_They?_ Chuck furrows his brow. _Who the hell is they and why was this man giving them government secrets?_ Chuck stays calm as he studies the man. He still doesn't know if he can kill the man, but he can't just turn him in. The CIA doesn't want anything to do with him. Chuck's mind fights a battle between angels and demons.

"Buddy, just finish him," Bryce's voice chirps into his earpiece. "Just take him out and get out of there."

Jackson mistakes Chuck's silent turmoil as hesitance to help him. "Come on," he pleads desperately, "I gave you guys so much about the Omaha Project and this… *Intersect.*"

_Intersect? Omaha Project?_ Chuck's mind is asking too many questions and all of them are questions he cannot answer.

"Come on buddy. Just do it. We can't be a spy team if you're not a spy. I know it is hard, but he has committed treason. What if he gave them info on Ellie and Devon?"

Chuck's inner turmoil instantly turns to anger at the thought of his sister being in trouble. He feels a nagging hatred form at Bryce's words. This man could've put the lives of many in dangers, and his sister could be one of them. He finally makes his decision. This man needs to die for betraying his country and government.

"The government thanks you for your contributions," Chuck states coldly as he pulls his handgun from his lower back.

"What?" Jackson puts his hands up. "But you guys said you'd help me."

"You trusted the wrong people," Chuck states venomously as he aims on the man. The gun trembles ever so slightly in hesitation.

"Then who are you? NSA? FBI?" Jackson asks as he cowers in fear under Chuck's gun. "You're CIA!"

Chuck's eyebrows twitch just enough to agree with Jackson's guess.

"Oh god," Jackson cries out. "I knew this was going to happen. I knew I couldn't trust them to protect me."

"You should've trusted your government," Chuck states as he tries to squeeze the trigger but still struggles to take someone's life.

"Just do it Chuck," Bryce demands sincerely. "Finish him already."

"Who's them?" Chuck queries demandingly.

"It doesn't matter," Jackson drops his head as he comes to terms with his fate. "It's too late. Just get it over with."

"Just kill him, Chuck!" Bryce laments angrily.

"I…" Chuck sighs despairingly. "Bryce, I can't… I…"

"Chuck," Bryce tries to motivate his best friend. "You got this. This man has given government secrets to our enemies. He is the reason for a lot of dead agents; good agents. This is what he deserves."

"I'm bringing you in," Chuck states as he threatens Jackson with the gun aimed back at his forehead. "Keep your hands up."

Jackson watches in confusion by Chuck's actions. He expected to be killed by now. CIA agents are always so ruthless and never hesitate in killing people. He finally realizes that this must be the kid's Red Test and he is choking. He quickly tries to devise a plan to disarm the kid, kill him, and get out of there.

"No! Chuck, you have to kill him," Bryce argues as if it is an ultimatum. "You won't be a spy if you don't."

"I know, but…" Chuck trails off as the gun trembles in his hand.

Jackson sees the slight tremor and makes his move. He dives forward and knocks the gun from Chuck's hand. Chuck is in slight shock as he is slow to react and the gun slips from his grasp. Jackson reaches for a gun behind his back and starts to swing it towards Chuck. Chuck closes his eyes as fear runs through him.

A single shot rings out and Chuck slowly opens a single eye to see Jackson on the ground bleeding out. Bryce places a calming hand on Chuck's shoulder. "You killed him. Not me. You got that?" He looks at Chuck with pure seriousness.

Chuck mindlessly nods as he takes the gun from Bryce. He looks at the body on the floor as the blood starts to pool. "Get me out of here," Chuck states sickly as he gags on the bloody sight before him. His stomach lurches once as he quickly looks away from the gory scene.

**I'm going through a bit of writer's block, but will hopefully find a way out of it soon. I have the next couple chapters finished already though.**

**Please review.**


	8. The First Ever

**Thanks for all the reviews. I know this story isn't exactly Charah heavy yet, but I'm working on it and have written Sarah into their lives as partners a few chapters later. Also, just because Chuck couldn't kill someone for his Red Test doesn't mean he is a wimp. Just like on the show, he has yet to kill someone technically not counting Shaw when he thought he did.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**July 7, 2004**

On their way back to the Farm, Bryce told their handler that Chuck successfully killed Jackson. Almost immediately, they summoned Chuck and Bryce to the Director of the CIA's office in Washington D.C. He is like the head honcho and Chuck is in a complete loss of words at the intimidating summoning. He doesn't know how to react. He technically didn't kill Jackson, but everyone thinks he did. Chuck and Bryce walk through the office building and arrive at a reception area with some chairs spaced out for people to sit while waiting.

The assistant, Jennifer Trough, smiles at both of them. "Please take a seat," she says sincerely; immediately noticing how handsome the young agents are. "Director Graham will be right with you."

"Thank you…" Chuck nods as he sees the nameplate on her desk, "Jennifer," he grins candidly as they both sit down. His mind is running wild over the reasons for this summoning. He has never talked to Graham or even seen him in person. Chuck is worried that Graham knows that Bryce lied for him about the Red Test and they are in deep trouble.

After a few minutes of terrorizing anticipation, Jennifer looks at the two gentlemen, "Director Graham will see you now."

"Okay," Chuck nods as they both stand up and walk into the office.

The office is roomy with a large cedar desk in the center and the CIA logo on the back wall. There are some bookshelves on the left side and a window on the right. An African-American man is sitting in the lush chair opposite of Chuck and Bryce. There are three chairs on the same side as Bryce and Chuck.

"Take a sit, gentlemen," Director Langston Graham gestures to the open seats.

Chuck and Bryce quickly sit down as they keep quiet in slight fear and intimidation.

"Congratulations on completing your Red Tests," Graham says to both of them.

"Thank you sir," Chuck and Bryce both say in unison with a curt nod.

"Killing for the first time can be detrimental to the mind. The CIA offers counseling if you are having trouble dealing with the repercussions," Graham explains in a soft tone. "Do either of you require it?"

Chuck and Bryce glance at each other as if they are conversing with their minds before looking back at Graham. "That won't be necessary, sir. We're both ready for action."

"That's good to hear. Now, I'm sure you're both wondering why I've asked you here today," Graham continues, "and not to your handler." Both younger agents nod furiously. Graham lets a tiny smirk form on his face at their reactions. "Well, now that you're both fully-fledged agents, I have a mission for you."

Chuck and Bryce glance at each other before looking back at Graham for him to elaborate.

**July 10, 2004**

Roan Montgomery takes his seat in front of Graham's office. "Langston, it's good to see you again. When are we on for drinks?" Roan asks casually between peers.

"Sorry, I've been fairly busy," Graham sighs. "And unfortunately, this is a business meeting."

"Very well," Roan drops the airy attitude. "What is it I can help you with?"

"I need an assessment on Agent Charles Bartowski," Graham states.

"Ah… Bartowski," Roan smiles as he reminisces the distinctive student's class regime. "Now that was a unique case."

"Why is that?" Graham asks curiously. He needs to understand Chuck to the highest degree if he is going to become the first Intersect agent.

"He didn't enjoy seducing women."

"Is he..?"

"No, he's as straight as you and me, but he dislikes the idea behind it," roan explains seriously. "He is an honest person and shies away from doing anything distrustful. He invests himself in the people he works with."

"You think he needs to become estranged with the people he depends on?"

"That's actually the opposite for his case. He depends on his companionship with others."

"So, what exactly are you saying about him?" Graham decides to cut straight to the point because Roan could be a little furtive in his style of speech.

"He cares for people," Roan elaborates simply. "The people you team him with will be the ones he strives and confides in. Choose his partners wisely because he will depend on them for the rest of his career," Roan says in dawning fashion. "He sees the good in everyone and I'm afraid that might ultimately lead to his downfall."

"I'll take that into consideration," Graham nods with a straight-laced expression. "How's drinks tomorrow night work?"

"Sounds good, Langston," Roan smiles.

**July 12, 2004**

Chuck and Bryce have been assigned to watch over a meeting with possible terrorists. Chuck and Bryce, in all black BDU outfits, sneakily climb up to the fourth floor of the factory. Chuck drops the suitcase he's been carrying and opens it. He pulls out the listening device while Chuck uses binoculars to look through the window and into the warehouse where the meeting is taking place. "I have four contacts," Bryce whispers.

"Roger that," Chuck responds as he gets the listening device operational. He points it at the group of suspected terrorists. He puts his headphones on and plays with a dial on the end of the listening device until he hears the suspected terrorist's voices coming through loud and clear. "I got sound."

"Good," Bryce muses. "Start the recording."

"Recording started," Chuck informs Bryce after flipping on the switch of the recording device.

"Now we just sit and listen while this thing records."

"Exactly," Chuck agrees as he holds the device in place.

After a few minutes of idle chit-chat between the terrorists, Chuck looks at Bryce. "Do you find it weird that our mission is just to listen in on some people?"

"Yea, I know what you mean," Bryce nods in thought. "Shouldn't we be apprehending these terrorists? It's odd that we're just recording their meeting and then letting them go."

"A mission is a mission," Chuck shrugs casually as he continues to point the listening device on the meeting.

"I think we should go and apprehend them," Bryce states slightly mischievously.

"And I think we should follow orders," Chuck deadpans to correct Bryce's renegade thoughts. He knows how egotistic and impulsive Bryce can be. The man just loves danger and the thrill it gives him.

"Come on," Bryce looks at Chuck. "There're only four of them. We definitely got this."

"Don't, Bryce," Chuck demands seriously. "Obviously, Director Graham wants us to only record their meeting because they may be planning something more sinister."

"Sinister? That's your choice of word?" Bryce looks at Chuck like he is some kind of comic book superhero.

"Shut up," Chuck shakes his head in disbelief. "Let's just finish this mission and get back."

"Fine," Bryce grumbles as he sits on the pathway and lets his legs dangle off the edge as he kicks them carelessly in the cool night air. To him, Chuck is doing all the work and he feels useless at the moment; which deters his mentality greatly.

**July 13, 2004**

Chuck and Bryce get back from the mission. They walk into Graham's office after Jennifer informs them it's safe. "Larkin, Bartowski," Graham muses with an airy tone. "I'm guessing the mission went without a hitch?"

"Yes sir," Chuck nods appropriately.

"Didn't hit a snag," Bryce reiterates in a similar professional manner.

"Here is the device that has the entire conversation on it," Chuck places a thumb drive onto Graham's desk.

"Great job Agents," Graham smiles at them. "Please take a seat. I have a new mission that is absolutely perfect for you."

Chuck and Bryce look at each other for a quick second before staring at Graham confusedly.

"The CIA has been working on a secret project called Project Omaha," Graham explains to the listening agents.

"The man I killed for my Red Test mentioned Project Omaha and something called the Intersect," Chuck informs Graham; feeling a shiver as he remembers the scene of Bryce killing the man to save Chuck's life.

"I'm aware of your report. Jackson made a huge mistake in giving that information to terrorists. That is why we need you more than ever, Chuck."

"Me?" Chuck asks weakly.

"Yes, your test scores in Professor Fleming's class at Stanford were phenomenal."

"Thank you sir," Chuck gives a quick nod; confused where this conversation is going.

"Your retention rate was an astounding ninety-eight percent. That is five percent higher than anyone we've ever seen." Graham looks at the slight surprise on Chuck's face, but mostly it is filled with confusion along with Bryce's. "That is where the Intersect comes into play. Do you know anything about it?"

"No sir," both of them answer in unison.

"In a nutshell, the idea is simply to store all the government's intel inside someone's head."

"Excuse me?" Chuck blurts out in complete confusion.

Graham grins at his reaction; he expected some confused glares that think he must be some kind of crazy mad scientist. "Through subliminal messaging, as you learned in Fleming's class, we can hide thousands of intel inside a single image. Every piece of intel will be stored into the brain subconsciously and will only be initiated when you see something that is in the intel. The Intersect will be able to bring up all the information on that specific subject in the blink of an eye."

"Is this even possible?" Bryce asks curiously.

"It's very much possible," Graham smiles knowingly. It worked on an agent a long time ago.

"How come only Chuck can do it?" Bryce asks in slight jealousy.

"As I said, his retention rate was ninety-eight percent. Yours was only eighty-five percent and you will not be able to hold all the data," Graham explains and he sees the protest forming on Bryce's lips. Graham was easily able to tell from all the reports that Bryce had to feel needed for him to be happy and willing. "But that doesn't mean you're useless. The Intersect is a very imperative concept and Chuck will need all the protection he can get. You guys will still be partners, but you will have to protect him too."

Chuck smiles as he looks over at Bryce. Bryce returns the smile as he is satisfied that he will still have use on the team, if not even more now.

"So how 'bout it, Chuck?" Graham asks amusedly. "You ready to become the first Intersect agent ever?"

**July 15, 2004**

Chuck is nervous. Make that very nervous. He is standing in a white room that looks like a bunch of large white marble tiles all around him. At least the building that houses this 'Intersect' thing is in the same city. For a brief second, Chuck, with how secretive the Intersect is, was afraid it would be in some secret underground base in somewhere like Switzerland or some other place millions of miles away that no one would expect. There is a small white console in the center with a computer that looks to be quite old but Chuck has never seen something quite like it. It must've been made before he was even born. Graham walks in and looks at Chuck. "We have all the best medical teams just in case," he informs Chuck.

"In case what?" Chuck asks weakly as it only fortifies his fear.

"Nothing. You will be fine. We've had scientists working on this for ages. They've assured me it is completely safe and nothing can go wrong."

"Alright," Chuck swallows audibly. "I guess I'm ready."

"For now on, Chuck," Graham looks at him with utter seriousness, "you will go by the name Charles Carmichael. The Intersect is too dangerous for people to know your real name and it will keep your family safe too. Is this understood?"

"Yes, sir," Chuck nods vehemently. He would never risk Ellie's life.

"Great, Agent Carmichael. I will inform Agent Larkin of the alias too," Graham leaves the room and the door closes behind him; making an echoing clack that doesn't help Chuck's worried demeanor one bit. The lights in the room instantly turn off to shroud him in complete darkness as he hears the computer in front of him whine to life as it starts the process. _Don't panic,_ Chuck feebly says to himself as all the tiles light up with a different image on each. The images quickly flash through hundreds of images per minute as Chuck stand there motionless. Chuck's eyelids stutter frantically as his body goes stiff and all the images burn into his retinas. His mind completely turns off as it saves every little parcel of information into its organic hard drive.

Six hours later, the images stop flashing over the tiles and the room falls back into darkness. The lights relight the room to shroud him in whiteness when his eyelids finally close and he lifelessly collapses backwards. Four doctors rush in and carefully lift him up. "Get him to the med bay!" Graham commands authoritatively as Bryce watches on in utter fear for his best friend; thinking that he shouldn't of let Chuck go through with this.

The doctors rush Chuck into the medical bay and put him on a medical cot. They hook up an EKG machine to check his heart rate. They hook an IV to his arm and place his head into an MRI machine. After a few minutes, Graham walks in and with just a stare, demands every answer.

"His heart rate is normal," the lead doctor explains. "And the brain scan shows his brain working at an amazing rate. I've never seen something quite like it."

"That's because he's special," Graham smiles in awe.

A groan catches everyone's attention as they look to the origin of the voice. Chuck stirs slowly as he tries to lift his hands to his head only to hit the MRI machine with his outstretched fingers. "Ow!" Chuck grunts as he lowers his hands to rub his fingers protectively.

"Get him out of there!" Graham demands hastily.

Two doctors pull Chuck out of the MRI machine and Bryce walks up to Chuck. "Hey buddy," Bryce says soothingly as he gently shakes Chuck's shoulder. "How're you feeling?"

"Like I have the worst hangover ever," Chuck muses as he brings his hands to his eyes to try to rub away the excess Bryce's in his vision.

"Worse than Connor's birthday?" Bryce quips as he remembers Chuck literally walking like a zombie the whole next day as all he could do was groan and complain about bright light.

"Not that bad," Chuck groans as he remembers the throbbing pain in his forehead the entire day after that party. Challenging David in tequila shots was the worst idea Chuck has ever had.

"Agent Carmichael," Graham stands over him in concern, "are you alright?"

"I… I think so," Chuck slowly lifts himself to a standing position. "You wouldn't have some ibuprofen, would you?"

Graham smirks at Chuck. "Doctor?" He looks up at the lead doctor.

"No problem," the doctor takes his orders in stride as he quickly disappears for the medicine.

Chuck looks to his right to see the IV needle deep into his arm. "Ah!" He shrieks as he flinches back. Everyone looks at him in concern. "That needle is huge!"

Bryce breaks out into heartfelt laughter as he knows Chuck has a phobia of needles.

"Get it out of me now!" Chuck shouts in utter fear as he flails his arms violently. "Get it out! Get it out! Get it out!"

**July 16, 2004**

Chuck is being looked over by three different doctors all wearing white scrubs and a white mask over their mouths and noses. He has yet to have successfully initiated the Intersect and they don't want to push him too harshly yet. A doctor is waving a flashlight in front of his face. "Alright, follow the light with your eyes," the doctor asks of Chuck. His eyes follow the light left to right and vice versa. Then they follow the light up and down and vice versa. "Good," the doctor muses. "You seem to have full eye function." The doctor retracts into the white of the walls.

Chuck looks down at the tightening on his arm as they are checking his blood pressure. After a few seconds, the constricting pressures eases and the doctor removes the cuff from his upper arm. "110 over 65. Looking good," the doctor muses as he pulls away from Chuck to get lost in the white walls.

"Take deep breaths," the third doctor asks as he presses the end of a stethoscope to his back. Chuck follows the order as the cold metal presses against his bare back in multiple spots before examining his front. "Everything seems to be normal," the doctor concludes as he backs off of Chuck. "You can put your clothes back on now."

"Finally," Chuck huffs as he looks down to see himself only in his boxers. He never liked getting physicals and this one was no different. He pulls his clothes back on and looks around the unnecessarily pale white room. It reminds him of the hospital in the first Resident Evil movie: eerily quiet and white.

"Agent Carmichael," a doctor wearing all white materializes before his eyes as if he just came out of the wall.

"Whoa!" Chuck jumps as he could've sworn the doctor just appeared before his eyes. "You scared the hell out of me."

"My apologies," the doctor bows curtly. "Director Graham would like to see you in the next room."

"Uh… thank you," Chuck nods and heads for the white door with the only color in the room; the gold door handle. As he exits the room, he finds himself in a plain hallway with three doors on each side. _Which door did they tell me to go to?_ Chuck asks himself as he looks left and right in contemplation. _The next one, right? But left or right?_ Chuck cautiously takes a step towards the right side when the door on the left opens and Bryce smiles at Chuck.

"This way, buddy," Bryce smiles charmingly as he holds the door open for Chuck.

Chuck walks in to see Graham and a man who looks very intellectual sitting at a desk. _At least this room isn't all white,_ Chuck muses as he steps completely into the room.

"Agent Carmichael," Graham looks at Chuck, "This is Dr. Howard Busgang. He's one of the scientists who worked on the original Intersect."

"Hello, Dr. Busgang," Chuck nods sincerely.

"Take a seat, Chuck," Graham points to the open chair in the room. Chuck obliges Graham and takes the seat. He glances at the other members of the room. Bryce is standing by the now closed door while Graham and Busgang are sitting across from him.

"Wow," Busgang leans forward as he admires Chuck, "the first human Intersect. This is an amazing feat. I never believed it was possible, but Orion never doubted it."

"Chuck, we have a few images here that should initiate the Intersect," Graham fiddles with the manila folder on the desk. "We just want to see how it works."

"Alright," Chuck nods slightly apprehensively.

Graham opens the folder and hands Chuck an image of a gorilla feeding its young. Chuck eyes every detail in the image, but nothing happens. "Anything?" Busgang asks anxiously.

"No," Chuck shakes his head. "Nothing yet."

"Alright," Graham takes the image back and then hands him an image of a yellow flower.

Chuck looks at the image and then he feels a tingling in the back of his head as his body starts to convulse. His mind retracts into itself as government information appears into his short-term memory. "Cuban Missile Crisis," Chuck reads verbally in a quick monotone voice as he is in a trance, "front for Soviet spies to infiltrate the United States: Operation Red Night: three captured. Two killed and one still remains. The U.S. lied about the missiles in Turkey and Italy. They had missiles in Denmark and Afghanistan. Missiles in Afghanistan stolen by Al Qaeda and main reason for the Afghanistan War and United States soldiers in Kuwait." Chuck finally breaks out of his trance and he blinks his eyes rapidly as he looks at the two men in confusion.

"Holy shit! It works!" Busgang gasps as he covers his mouth in complete shock at what Chuck just reiterated.

**Chuck is officially the Intersect. I obviously made up the information about the Cuban Missile Crisis and whatnot. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter will have a little bit of Charah.**

**Please review.**


	9. The First Intersect Mission

**Thanks for the reviews so far. They really mean a lot to me. I know this story is starting to aggravate you because there isn't enough Charah, but this chapter will have a sampler that will hopefully keep you interested.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**July 19, 2004**

"Alright, Chuck," Director Graham explains cordially, "You're going to need to control your flashes and minimize their effect on your appearance." Chuck is sitting across the desk from Graham with Bryce next to him inside an interrogation room. Chuck coined the term 'flash' for the Intersect triggers because the data literally flashes before his eyes.

"How do I do that?" Chuck asks completely curious. Bryce already told him how 'down-syndrome' Chuck looks when he flashes. Chuck scowled at his friend, but Bryce only shrugged and told him it was the truth.

"That is all up to you," Graham explains seriously. "We have some doctors who believe it is all in your reflexive muscles. So, in essence, it is a habitual reaction, but they are going to help you fix the habit."

"Alright," Chuck nods, "I will do my best, sir."

"That's all we ask," Graham smiles as he stands up. Two doctors walk in and take up Graham's previous seat and the one next to him.

"Agent Carmichael," the doctors explain, "we're going to give you some stimuli to initiate the Intersect and want you to try to relax your facial muscles."

"Alright," Chuck nods.

The doctors show him an image and he immediately falls into a flash. He tries his best to control his muscles as he tenses up and he no longer holds control of his body for the second he recalls the Intersect data. After he comes out of the flash, he looks at the two doctors. Judging by the dissatisfied frowns on their faces, Chuck has failed.

"You need to focus more on your eyelids. Try to keep them open," the doctor explains as he shows Chuck another image that triggers the Intersect.

Chuck flashes again and he wills his mind to think about keeping his eyes open the whole time. When he comes out of the flash, he looks at the doctors. "How was that?" He asks curiously.

"Better, but not good enough," the doctor muses analytically. "Keep trying."

**July 21, 2004**

"Hey Jesse," Chuck sees his friend sitting at the cafeteria at the Farm after one of his 'Flash Control' training. She looks to be fairly tired and slightly exasperated emotionally. "Are you alright?" He asks with concern lacing his tone as he sits next to her.

"I'm… I'm fine," she responds halfheartedly as she stares off into the distance. "I heard you made agent status. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Chuck smiles subtly as he tries to figure out where Jesse's mind is. "You'll get it soon too."

"I actually just did," she smiles thinly but it doesn't reach her eyes. "As of yesterday, I'm officially an agent."

"You…" Chuck finally realizes why she is so dejected. "Are you alright?"

"How… How do you sleep, Chuck?" She asks dreadfully. "Every time I close my eyes, I see him. I see his dark eyes looking at me with utter confusion as the blood drains from his body and his skin turns pale."

"I…" Chuck's mouth opens but nothing comes out. He doesn't know what to say because he never actually killed someone, but he knows he has to give her some encouraging words. "I'm here for you," he pulls her into a comforting hug. "You have to trust the CIA. You saved hundreds of people. Don't think about him. Think about the people you saved," Chuck suggests in a soothing tone. "It gets easier over time."

Jesse forms to his body as he is so unbelievably warm and comfortable that she feels like she could sleep in his arms at this very moment as she hasn't been sleeping well, if at all. "Thank you, Chuck," she says softly. "How's Bryce doing?"

"He's doing fine," Chuck answers comfortingly. "I think he's really enjoying being a spy."

"That's good to know," Jesse smiles thinly at Chuck.

Chuck knows he has to do something for her. "You were there for me so I'm here for you. If you need anything, just ask," Chuck smiles welcomingly at her. "I want to help you and you look like you haven't been sleeping well. Let's go to your room and I'll keep the nightmares away," he grins welcomingly at her as he reiterates her words when he was having nightmares.

"Just don't kiss me," Jesse smirks as she remembers the last time they slept in the same bed and the irony of the role reversal in this situation.

Chuck laughs heartily as he wraps his arm around her shoulders and she molds to his side as they head for her room to get some well-deserved sleep. He wants to spend as much of his free time with her because he knows that they will no longer be able to hang out and enjoy each other's company once she is stationed in a different place than Chuck. He's definitely going to miss her.

**July 28, 2004**

Chuck has been 'training' his muscles to relax when he flashes and has minimized them to just his eyelids lowering slightly for the second of uncontrollable flashing. Chuck has been practicing to control his flashes too, but hasn't been able to halt the process yet. They leave him vulnerable for the second he is in his flash and that could get him killed.

Chuck and Bryce walk into Graham's office and stand erect, waiting for their superior to address them. "Take a seat," Graham gestures to the chairs on the opposite side of his desk. Chuck and Bryce promptly seat themselves. "How're you feeling, Chuck?"

"I'm fine. Haven't had a headache in a while," Chuck replies sincerely. Multiple flashes have put a strain on his head and have caused a few headaches over the days.

"Good," Graham nods curtly. "Does that mean you're ready for your first mission as the human Intersect?"

"Yes, sir," Chuck nods confidently.

"Remember your mission recording the suspected terrorists?" Graham asks amusedly. Chuck and Bryce nod in affirmation. "Well, they are set up for a meeting in two days. Bryce, you will be working as the bartender while you, Chuck, will be inside the van monitoring the restaurant."

"Yes, sir," they both nod in understanding.

"Larkin, you'll be wearing a pin camera on your jacket that Chuck will be able to watch from," Graham explains before turning to Chuck. "You need to see if you flash on any of them. If you do, I want you to apprehend them. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, sir," Chuck and Bryce nod.

"Alright, you are dismissed."

"Uh, sir?" Bryce speaks up as they get ready to end the meeting.

"Yes?"

"Where will we be staying?" Bryce asks curiously. "We cannot live at the Farm forever," he gives a small grin to complement his airy tone.

Graham nods in thought before a smile breaks out on his straight face. "You're absolutely correct. I will have you both in a hotel until we can find more permanent living."

"Great," Bryce smiles at his boss.

"Have a good day, sir," Chuck states sincerely before he and Bryce leave Graham's office.

**July 31, 2004**

Chuck knocks on Bryce's hotel room door. They were set up in a luxurious Best Western hotel where they each got their own room with a king-size bed and a bathroom. Bryce checks to see who it is before opening the door with a smile on his face. "Hey, buddy," Bryce greets Chuck.

"Looking fancy, dude," Chuck quips as Bryce goes back to the mirror as he tries to straighten his bowtie.

"Thanks," Bryce replies sarcastically. "I always hated bowties. I'm more a normal tie guy myself."

"Me too," Chuck grins as he sees the red bartender vest resting on the bed. "The van is right around the corner and the meeting is in one hour."

"Alright," Bryce finishes straightening his bowtie, "let's get this done." He combs his hand over his lightly gelled hair and grins confidently at Chuck.

**July 31, 2004**

Chuck is sitting inside the nondescript van with three monitors and a keyboard in front of him. Chuck puts on his headset and watches as Bryce fixes the camera pin on his vest. "How's the video coming in?" Bryce asks from the seat next to Chuck in the back of the van while he fiddles with the pin.

"Looks clear," Chuck replies as he turns to his friend. "Is your comm working?"

"I can hear you fine," Bryce smiles as he presses his earpiece deeper into his ear.

"Alright, everything looks good. You know how to make a fuzzy navel?" Chuck asks jokingly as Bryce is going to have to make cocktails for numerous patrons for his cover.

"Ew…" Bryce shivers with disgust. "Can you imagine a woman having a happy trail?"

"Gross… and stop it," Chuck deadpans as he tries not to let the image into his already polluted mind.

"My bad, but yea, I think I know how to make whatever drink someone could possibly ask for," Bryce replies with a humor-laced tone.

"Don't get cocky and start juggling the bottles," Chuck smiles brightly at his best friend.

"My juggling skills start with one item and ends with one," Bryce laughs as he straightens his vest.

"Alright, get in there," Chuck lightly pushes Bryce towards the back of the van.

Bryce grabs his small Colt .32 pistol and slides it underneath the back of his vest at his lower back. He opens the door and climbs out. "Have fun in the van," Bryce smirks.

"Shut up," Chuck shakes his head in disbelief as Bryce shuts the back doors of the van.

Bryce walks in through the back of the restaurant and through the kitchen, when someone's voice stops him. "Hey, where's Johnny?"

"Um…" Bryce tenses at being called out personally. "He's not feeling well…"

"Spastic colon," Chuck blurts out into Bryce's earpiece.

Bryce, completely calm, turns to the man and replies, "He has a spastic colon so he asked me to take his shift."

"Ouch, that's a bummer. Well, alright then, thanks," the man smiles before getting back to his business.

Bryce seamlessly slips in behind the bar counter and surveys the location. "Spastic colon?" Bryce queries with a disbelieving eyebrow. "Really?"

"First thing I thought of," Chuck answers with a tone that is trying but failing to stifle the humor. "Sorry."

"No problem," Bryce responds casually. He sees the restaurant is in a squared structure with the booths at the far end of the restaurant. "How's it looking?" Bryce whispers into his microphone watch.

"Picture is clear and the sound is clear," Chuck replies through his headset. "The marks should be arriving in just a few minutes."

"Alright," Bryce whispers before seeing a beautiful young woman no older than thirty walk up to the bar. "What can I get you, miss?" Bryce asks charmingly with a smile.

"Can I get a fuzzy navel, please," the woman responds with a small seductive smile on her face. She can stare at that face for days. Bryce snorts as he tries to contain his laughter at the coincidence. The woman contorts her face confusedly with a raised eyebrow. "I'm sorry, did I say something funny?"

"No, sorry, ma'am," Bryce shakes off the lingering laughter, which isn't easy with having Chuck cackling like a hyena in his earpiece. "One fuzzy navel, coming right up," he turns away from the woman as he tries not to break into another fit of laughter.

"Do you think she has a fuzzy navel?" Chuck jokingly asks through his laughter.

"Probably not," Bryce replies quietly. "Now shut up," he hisses into his watch as he grabs the peach schnapps from the shelf behind him. He smiles charmingly back at the woman who is leaning against the bar in an overtly sexual way as her breasts pour over her forearms while she undresses Bryce with her eyes. Bryce kneels down to open the fridge for the orange juice after placing the schnapps on the counter in front of him; which just happens to be directly opposite of the bar from the woman.

"Can't complain about this view," Chuck muses with mirth as he receives an unhindered site down the woman's cleavage as Bryce kneels down to enter the fridge.

Bryce contorts his face as he stifles another snort as he pulls the orange juice from the fridge. Bryce successfully mixes the drink and hands it to the woman. "Thank you very much," she leaves a large tip on the table as she winks seductively at Bryce before walking away.

"Wow, maybe I should be a bartender," Bryce quips as he pockets the hefty tip.

"I think Chippendales would be better suited for you," Chuck replies as he breaks out into laughter.

"Shut up," Bryce replies as he tries to contain his laughter. A second later, their marks walk into the restaurant. "I have contact," Bryce immediately drops the carefree mirthful attitude and slips into a completely serious agent mode.

"I see them," Chuck replies seriously as he watches the men on the monitor through Bryce's pin camera. Chuck watches closely when one of them glances towards Bryce as he takes in the atmosphere of the restaurant. Chuck instantly feels the tingling of a flash as his eyelids droop and information flashes over his face.

_A vegetarian pizza._

_Antonio Andruzzi._

_Nationality: Italian._

_Numerous illegal weapons dealing and trafficking counts._

_A vegetarian pizza._

"Whoa," Chuck mumbles as he emerges out of the flash. "Bryce, do you see the Italian guy with the overly greased hair?"

Yea," Bryce replies curtly.

"He's Antonio Andruzzi. He sells weapons illegally."

"Seems like someone from Jersey," Bryce smirks as he continues to inconspicuously watch their marks while bartending.

Chuck makes sure to take a long hard look at each of the four marks, but he only flashed on the single Italian man.

Chuck and Bryce watch carefully until their marks finish their meals and conversation and stand up to leave. Bryce quickly slips out through the kitchen so he can tail Andruzzi. Chuck grabs his tranquilizer pistol from his table and makes sure it is loaded. He doesn't care if Bryce always makes fun of him for it; the gun has its perks like quietness and being nonlethal. Chuck replaces the headset with a concealed earpiece and quickly steps out of the van so he can catch up to the mark. He hurries to the corner of the street as he presses his back against the wall. He peeks over to see Andruzzi splitting up from his group as he heads away from Chuck for his parked car. "Bryce, Andruzzi is heading east. You should see him walk by the alley."

"Roger that," Bryce replies as he readies his handgun and hides behind a dumpster in the alley along the side of the restaurant. Bryce watches carefully as he sees the glimmering shine of Andruzzi's excessively gelled hair. "Target spotted."

"I'm moving closer," Chuck replies as he uses the parked cars on the street as cover.

"Roger," Bryce affirms. "I'm moving in on his six." Bryce hastily sneaks up to the end of the hallway and presses his back to the wall as he peeks around the corner to see Andruzzi's backside less than fifteen feet ahead of him.

"Roger," Chuck confirms. "I see you. If he turns down the block, we need to make our move."

Chuck and Bryce quickly and silently converge on Andruzzi. Andruzzi, unaware to the men engaging him, carelessly turns right towards his car as he tries to fish his keys out of his hand.

"Freeze," Bryce states firmly as he aims his gun at Andruzzi's back. "Let me see your hands."

"What is this?" Andruzzi demands agitatedly as he turns around to see the dark figure of Bryce in the night's shadow holding a gun to him. He obediently raises his hands above his head.

"You're under arrest," Bryce replies as he cautiously walks towards Andruzzi with his gun still aimed at the man.

"You can't shoot an unarmed man. That's against the law," Andruzzi replies bitterly with a hint of smugness as he starts to lower his hands.

"But I can," Chuck replies boastfully as he fires a single tranquilizer dart into Andruzzi's neck. Andruzzi looks at Chuck in shock from the unexpected third party before his eyelids droop and he falls into a deep slumber as his body crumbles lifelessly to the ground.

"I had him," Bryce replies with a tinge of jealousy.

"I know you did, but why leave him awake when he can insult us if this is so much easier?" Chuck replies with a smile.

"The only reason why I'm not mad is because you make a valid point," Bryce replies with narrowed eyes. "Now help me lift this faux pa Jersey douche."

**August 1, 2004**

Sarah and Carina are relaxing in their hotel in Brazil. Another mission was a complete fluke as they had Intel on a warehouse that Gaez was storing his illegal drugs, but the warehouse was completely empty. Sarah was angered beyond belief as she hates failing missions. Amy is out trying to forget the failure and have some fun at a nightclub like she usually does on her off time while Zondra is trying to catch up on some sleep. Sarah glances at Carina with a pointed glare and Carina nods in understanding.

Sarah pulls out her phone and steps out onto the balcony and starts dialing a number she remembered for any computer related needs. Carina walks up behind Sarah in curiosity. "Who're you calling?"

"A guy who's good with computers," Sarah responds casually as she holds the phone to her ear.

"Is that all he's good at?" Carina asks with a suggestive tone.

Sarah snorts at Carina's overtly sexual innuendos. "Shut up," Sarah mirthfully shakes her head in disbelief.

"Can you trust him?" Carina asks seriously in a complete change of character.

Sarah hesitates for the slightest second before nodding confidently, "Yes, I trust him." Less than a second later, she hears the voice on the other end answer.

"Hello?" The male voice asks curiously.

"Hey, Chuck," Sarah smiles at hearing his voice. She still misses those two guys a lot. "It's Sarah."

Carina remembers a Chuck in her past. He was a nice guy… and great in bed.

"Sarah?" Chuck's voice immediately takes on an ecstatic happy tone as she can virtually hear him smiling. "Hi, how are you?"

"I'm good, Chuck," Sarah responds happily. "How're you?"

"Great. Bryce and I just accomplished our first mission as spies."

"You're a spy now?" Sarah asks in ecstatic surprise as a small part of her has always been rooting for them since she had to train them. "Congratulations, Chuck." Then Sarah realizes he must've passed his red test to become a spy, so therefore Chuck must've killed someone. "How're you holding up?" She asks, concern lacing her tone.

"I'm fine," Chuck responds confusedly; not understanding why she would be so concerned.

"That's good," Sarah muses as she tries to pull herself from the darkness of the conversation.

"Yea, it feels pretty good to be out of the Farm," Chuck replies happily. He wants to ask her if she is going to be in D.C. any time soon because he misses her but keeps it to himself as he doesn't want to come onto her too strongly.

"Yea, it does, "Sarah reminisces when she was awarded her apartment by her handler. "Chuck, I kind of have a favor to ask."

"Anything, Sarah, we're friends."

"We are," Sarah echoes and, for some unexpected reason, feels a wave of happiness hit her at hearing Chuck call her a friend. Friends were a rare commodity in her life and the spy life is no easier. "I need you to check the bank accounts of two agents."

"Is this legal?" Chuck inquiries in a conspiratorial whisper.

"I need your help, Chuck," Sarah responds with hope brimming from her voice. "You're the only one I know who can do this for me." _And the only one I trust,_ Sarah's mind finishes.

"Alright, Sarah," Chuck agrees with slight hesitance. He has rarely broken the law in his life and the most counts of that would be jaywalking while trying to get to class on time. "I trust you."

Sarah doesn't know how he does it, but another wave of happiness hits her at the revelation that Chuck trusts her. Trust is something that doesn't come easily in the spy business. Sarah doesn't even trust Carina and definitely not her two partners as she is conspiring against them at this very moment.

"Thank you, Chuck," Sarah sighs in relief. "I just need to know the bank activity of the accounts for Agent Zondra Rizzo and Amy Barrett to see if there have been any recent deposits of a large amount." Sarah is met with silence so she furrows her brow and asks, "Chuck?"

"Huh? What?" Chuck shakes himself out of the flash he just underwent. He didn't even hear anything past Zondra Rizzo as he was hit with every former mission detail of the brunette agent and something called the Clandestine Attack Team. He is completely flabbergasted as he wasn't aware that the Intersect has verbal triggers too.

"Are you alright?" Sarah asks as she tries to assess Chuck's response. "You spaced out there for a second."

"Oh, yea. Sorry about that. What did you need me to check?"

"The bank accounts for the two agents."

"Coming right up," Chuck says airily as he boots up his laptop. "Just turning my laptop on."

"Alright," Sarah responds as she relaxes on the railing and lets the phone relax in her hand against the railing.

"So, this Chuck guy? Is he good looking?" Carina asks as she gets bored of the silence.

"He's the sexiest man alive," Sarah states sarcastically with an eye roll as she cannot believe that all Carina can talk about are looks and sex.

Chuck overhears the female agents' conversation on the phone and his eyebrows widen. _Did she just call me the sexiest man alive?_ Chuck questions in his mind. He shakes his head as he must've been hearing things. There is no way she could possibly think of him as being the sexiest man alive. After he gets his computer booted and opens up the control prompt on his computer, he accesses the Agency's secure server. "Sarah? You still there?" Chuck asks.

"Huh?" Sarah mumbles as she pulls the phone back to her ear. "Yea, I'm right here."

"What were the names?"

"Zondra Z-o-n-d-r-a Rizzo R-i-z-z-o is the first one."

"Okay…" Chuck trails off as he expertly hacks into the government servers and brings up the file on Zondra Rizzo. "Let's see…" Chuck scrolls through the files of previous missions mostly in the Middle East until he falls upon her bank accounts. "She only has one account with Wells Fargo and all her deposits are in tune with her paychecks."

"Alright," Sarah nods as she deduces that it can't be Zondra if their hunch of money is the reason for betraying them. "Can you check Amy Barrett B-a-r-r-e-t-t?" Again, Sarah is met with silence and she is starting to wonder if Chuck is sick or incapacitated at the moment. "Chuck?"

"What? Yea," Chuck responds as if his mind is not in the same place as his body.

"Are you alright, Chuck? You're not sick, are you? Is this a bad time?" Sarah asks with concern.

"No, I'm fine," Chuck waives calmly. He just flashed on Amy Barrett, a five foot six blonde who is an expert in taekwondo. He also saw all of her previous missions with some redacted information and something called the Clandestine Attack Team.

"Alright," Sarah hesitantly relents.

Chuck starts searching Barrett's name and hacking into the database to find the accounts for Amy Barrett.

"Thank you for this, Chuck. It means a lot," Sarah states gratefully as she breaks the silence.

"No problem, Sarah," Chuck happily replies. Since it is taking some time, Chuck's curiosity gets the better of him. "Sarah, what's the Clandestine Attack Team?"

Sarah guffaws with a grin. "It's just a stupid catchy name they gave us. The C.A.T. Squad," Sarah rolls her eyes as she states their team name, "Because we're all women. How ridiculous, right?"

"So, you guys are like a real life version of Charlie's Angels?" Chuck smiles mirthfully.

"Whose angels?" Sarah asks with a furrowed brow.

"Sorry, pop culture reference. It was a TV show about three beautiful deadly spies who work for a man named Charlie," Chuck explains dismissively. "Forget I said anything and pretend I didn't embarrass myself." He so wanted to say his angels because of the similar name, but relented as he didn't want to embarrass himself.

Sarah stifles a chuckle. "You shouldn't be embarrassed."

"Did he ask you out?" Carina asks as an odd twinkle of excitement forms in her eyes.

"Seriously, Carina?" Sarah questions with utter disbelief. "Has it ever occurred to you that not everything is about sex?"

"Not really," Carina shrugs. "It's always about sex; even if you don't realize it."

"Whatever," Sarah shakes her head as she rolls her eyes; something she has been doing a lot since Carina came into her life.

"I'm on her file, Sarah… Let's see…" Chuck scrolls through her bank accounts as Sarah listens intently. "She has three accounts. One with First National, another with Bank of America, and one is an offshore account."

"Can you check the offshore account's activity?" Sarah asks hopefully as she feels anticipation of being so close to finding the traitor.

"It's encrypted," Chuck muses out loud.

"Shit," Sarah huffs in anger. She knows it has to be Amy, but without getting into the offshore account records, there is no evidence.

"Don't worry," Chuck replies with amusement. "I just have on last firewall to get through and… I'm in," Chuck says excitedly. "Looks like she has been depositing money to the account once a month for the last four months, but whoooo…" Chuck whistles in awe.

"What?" Sarah asks hastily in anticipation. Bryce told her he was good with computers, but he breezed right through it all.

"She deposited a hefty five million dollars just over a month ago; June twenty-third to be specific."

"That was three days before our failed mission," Sarah muses in eagerness.

"There was also another deposit of one million dollars on July twenty-ninth."

"That bitch," Sarah chides angrily.

"It's Amy? I knew it. No one that's perky," Carina grumbles in anger.

"Sarah, is Amy your partner? Do you need any help with her?" Chuck asks with concern as he can't imagine anything happening to Sarah.

"No, we got this, Chuck," Sarah grins at how protective Chuck is of her. _That's what friends do; they protect each other,_ Sarah tells herself satisfyingly. "Thank you, Chuck. You just saved us from multiple failed missions and may've just saved our lives."

"Glad I could help. Be careful though. She is advanced in Taekwondo. I don't want the next time I see you you're sporting a black eye," Chuck feels an overwhelming pride for helping Sarah and insinuating that he will be seeing her again. _Not bad, Bartowski, _Chuck smirks to himself.

"Don't worry, Chuck. Three against one is sufficient odds; especially when she doesn't know it's coming. I don't know how else to show my thanks for this, Chuck—"

"You can screw him," Carina suggests innocently with a shrug.

"What?" Chuck lets slip out of his mouth before covering it in embarrassment, but it is too late.

"Shut up," Sarah glares deathly as Carina. "Sorry, Chuck. My partner is a bit of a sexual deviant," Sarah shakes her head as she smiles into the phone.

"Only a bit?" Carina feigns being insulted.

"Goodbye, Chuck," Sarah smiles sadly. "Tell Bryce I said hi… And good luck being a spy."

"Thanks, you too," Chuck reluctantly ends the phone call. His day was just made with hearing Sarah's voice and actually helping her out.

"You like him," Carina muses as if it has already been decided by the powers that be and there is nothing anyone could do about it.

"He's a good guy," Sarah responds casually. There is nothing between them and there is nothing to lie about.

"But you like him," Carina reiterates as she smiles ever so slightly.

"He's my friend," Sarah responds confidently with slight bitterness. She doesn't like having people in her personal business and Carina always feels the need to be in people's personal business; especially Sarah's. "That's all there is to it."

"Alright," Carina backs off but she can tell there is a little more between Sarah and this Chuck then she is willing to admit. Sarah protested just a little too much; that is an obvious sign. "How're we going to take out Amy?"

"Let's collaborate with Zondra first," Sarah replies with anticipation as she is not going to let anything get in the way of getting her revenge.

**August 1, 2004**

Chuck and Bryce walk into Graham's office and stand at attention. "Take a seat," Graham happily gestures to the usual chairs Chuck and Bryce utilize. After they are seated, Graham smiles widely at the two agents. "Great job on the mission. Andruzzi sang like a songbird. We've already arrested four of his contacts."

"That's great news, sir," Chuck smiles as he feels pride grow inside for helping to make the world a better place.

"Yes it is," Graham affirms cheerily. "I called you in because I've found a more permanent place for you to stay. There is a three bedroom apartment less than five miles from here. I think it is perfect for you. Take a look at it and let me know what you think. I'm also giving you both a budget of thirty grand to buy yourselves a mode of transportation and another ten grand each on furnishing your apartment."

"Really?" Bryce exclaims with a surprised smile.

"Yea, so don't go blowing it on hookers," Graham smirks at Bryce. Chuck's eyelids shoot upwards at Graham's comment. _Did he just make a joke?_ Chuck asks himself. For a second, he thought the man was bred in a factory and they forgot to upload the humor program. "Now go on and check out your new apartment. Jennifer has the address and keys."

**Next chapter is mostly some kick-ass C.A.T. Squad action. Sorry, no Carina and Sarah kissing. Not that kind of action. And Chuck and Bryce get new cars. Sorry, for the long chapter, but this felt like the best spot to stop at.**

**Please review.**


	10. Rewriting History

**Thank you for the reviews. It is always a milestone when you hit 100 reviews because that means you have some dedicated fans, which Chuck is full of. Always will be the greatest fandom ever and no one could give such a warm reception to its fans. Thank you, Chuck, for letting me play in your sandbox.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**August 1, 2004**

"Dude, I'm serious," Bryce looks at Chuck with an excited expression, "this is freakin' awesome! We're going to have this whole place to ourselves," Bryce spins around with his arms in the air.

"You can't complain about three bedrooms, three baths," Chuck grins at his partner and best friend.

"We need to make this the ultimate bachelor's pad. I call the one on the right. There's going to be a different girl in my bed every weekend," Bryce grins jokingly at Chuck as he reiterates his same sentiments that he stated back in college and the Farm.

"Just make sure you put a tie on the doorknob," Chuck smirks at the incredulity of his friend. They may be polar opposites in some traits, but somehow that just brings them closer together.

"You got it," Bryce nods as he knows Chuck is joking. Bryce then turns serious, "hey, maybe Ellie and Devon could visit some time and stay in the guest bedroom?" Bryce suggests casually as he knows Chuck is missing his sister as he hasn't seen her since graduation. Bryce almost immediately found out how much family and friends mean to Chuck. They are the highest priority in his life and he would do anything for them.

"That would be great," Chuck replies as he reminisces about his sister. He hasn't seen her since she dropped him and Bryce off at the airport to fly into Washington National Airport.

"Or Morgan could come check out the bachelor pad," Bryce smirks at his friend.

"You're not going to seriously call it a bachelor pad, are you?" Chuck asks in mock dreadfulness.

"We are bachelors, aren't we?" Bryce shrugs as he looks to his friend for reassurance.

"No, we're spies," Chuck grins brightly.

"Fine, but we need to get some furniture," Bryce deadpans as he looks around the empty living room/kitchen of the apartment.

"We need to get some transportation first."

"Good idea."

**August 1, 2004**

Sarah feels her phone vibrate in her pocket and she pulls it out. She notices it is a text from Chuck. She just talked to him a couple hours ago so she is curious to know what he could want. Maybe he has some more information to help her apprehend Amy. She reads the first line:

_I found out a way to return the favor. ;)_

Sarah frowns at the thought; her mind habitually thinking of something sexual as that is the train of thought for most men who feel they deserve a favor; even if that doesn't seem like it suits Chuck at all from what she has seen from him so far.

_What car should I get for less than $30,000? :D_

Sarah smiles foolishly as she cannot believe she would even suspect Chuck could be so shallow and smutty. He's not Carina after all. Sarah's first thought is a Porsche as she has always been a fan of German engineering from her Volkswagen Rabbit when she was in high school to her 2003 Porsche 911 GTR sitting in the CIA garage while she is on this mission. But he is working on a budget that Porsche doesn't fit into. She ponders deeply about the perfect car for Chuck.

A blue Mustang races by in her mind with Chuck driving while she is sitting next to him as they both don't have a care in the world; her hair gracefully blowing in the wind like the movies always show as the convertible top is down and she has the hugest grin on her face to match Chuck's large carefree grin. She then sees herself sitting comfortably next to Chuck inside a red BMW 3 Series; the luxurious black leather interior and the roomy atmosphere. _That would be fun,_ she happily muses to herself. She knows Hondas are the most stolen vehicles so that would be a poor choice for him. She doesn't see Chuck being the flashy type in a bright red or green color. The BMW has the German engineering, but doesn't seem like a car Chuck would drive. He seems like someone who wants a fast car, but doesn't want to flaunt it. She grins as she joyfully responds to his text as she doesn't even realize the ridiculous grin on her face.

_Infiniti G35 in grey. Fast, quick, and sexy._

She couldn't help but add the last two words to it. She has never had such exhilaration writing a text message before and she realizes her pulse is racing and her heart is beating quickly in a pleasing manner. She never knew it could feel so great and fulfilling to have friends.

**August 10, 2004**

Chuck pulls his brand new Infiniti G35 into the parking lot. Graham called for a meeting in his office. Bryce, being foolish, decided he'll drive his own vehicle, a bright red 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, even though Chuck offered to drive him.

Chuck sees Bryce pull in seconds later and they meet at the elevator. "You know what this is about?" Bryce asks casually.

"I have no idea. Probably a mission," Chuck shrugs nonchalantly.

They make their way into Graham's waiting room where his assistant is sitting. "Hey Jennifer," Chuck smiles brightly at the thirty-eight year old brunette.

"Hey Chuck… Bryce. How's everything?" She asks with a big smile. It seems like everyone is all business around Graham except for Chuck. If she wasn't already married, she easily would've taken a chance on him.

"We just bought a car… and furnished our apartment… so everything is great," Chuck responds truthfully with pride seeping into his tone. He really cannot remember the last time he was so thrilled.

"That's great," she responds with a larger smile. Small talk is hard to come by, so she'll take it where she can get it. "What car did you get?"

"I got an Infiniti G35."

"And I got a Mitsubishi Lancer," Bryce finishes with a charming smile.

"Wow, you guys are flying with style," Jennifer chuckles as she hits a button on her desk that just lit up. "Looks like Graham will see you now."

"Thanks; have a great day," Chuck smiles pleasantly as they walk into Graham's office. As Chuck and Bryce step into the doors, they stand at attention.

"At ease, boys," Graham says casually. "Take a seat. I see you've been doing some home improvement," Graham muses as they sit in their seats.

"Yes, we've furnished our apartment completely," Bryce responds with slight pride of how it looks.

"And the vehicles are adequate?"

"Completely, sir," Bryce nods vehemently.

"That's good to hear," Graham's mirthful façade fades into seriousness. "We need the Intersect's help."

"Whatever you need, sir," Chuck states seriously.

"Great," Graham opens a folder on his desk. "We've been trying to apprehend Sheik Majhad for some time now…" He trails off as he sees Chuck's eyelids flutter from the flash. "Did you just flash from hearing the name?" Graham asks in utter surprise. He was never told that the Intersect could be triggered verbally.

"Um," Chuck shakes his head as he brings himself back to the real world, "yea, I guess I did." Truth be told, it is actually the third time Chuck has flashed from hearing something, but he couldn't tell Graham because he was helping Sarah illegally.

"What did you see?" Graham asks in hopeful anticipation as he leans forward.

"He supplies Al Qaeda with infantry munitions and antitank explosives. He has three safe-houses in Tajikistan," Chuck grins ever so slightly as he feels that odd sensation in his stomach as he is helping make the world a better place.

"Do you know where they're they located?"

"One is on the border of Afghanistan, another is in Kalininibad, and the last one is in Dushanbe."

"Do you know the exact coordinates?" Graham asks with brimming hope. "This could save us years if he is at one of them."

"Yes, do you want us to fly in there and clear it ourselves?" Chuck asks curiously. He's never been to the Middle East and would love to see the different culture.

"That won't be necessary. This is a job for the military," Graham smiles proudly at his agent. They may've just saved thousands of Americans in Afghanistan just because of the Intersect. "Great job, Chuck."

"No problem," Chuck smiles widely at his boss. The pride he is feeling for helping save thousands of lives is the greatest feeling he has ever felt.

**August 16, 2004**

Sarah presses her back against the corner of the wall as she is shrouded in the darkness of the moon. She furtively peeks out to see the blonde woman walking in the direction away from Sarah. "I have contact on Amy," Sarah says in her earpiece. "She's walking north on Alameda Street."

"Roger that," Carina replies as she glances over her newspaper to see the blonde turn right from Carina's perched spot on the bus bench at the kitty corner of the intersection. "She just turned right onto Belize road."

"Roger," Zondra states as she waits from the next block east of Alameda.

"Don't apprehend her until we find out who she is meeting with," Sarah demands in a leader-like fashion even though she is the youngest.

A few seconds later, Zondra updates her teammates, "I have contact. She is still heading east on Belize."

"Okay, Carina and I are moving up," Sarah states as they hastily follow the blonde and use the cars as cover.

"Copy that," Zondra hurries to the building at the southeast corner of the intersection as Amy walks by it heading east.

"We see you," Carina informs Zondra.

"I'll take the lead," Zondra directs. "You two break off and regroup a few blocks ahead."

"I'm going north. Sarah, go south," Carina commands as she heads one block north as Sarah heads one block south.

Carina and Sarah both jog three blocks ahead of Amy's current position as they keep parallel with her direction.

After a couple minutes, Zondra updates Carina and Sarah, "Looks like she is heading south on Gatinho, Walker."

"Roger that," Sarah replies. "Break off your tail. I'll take over."

Amy turns south as she walks through the vacant depressing streets of Brazil. There is only a streetlight every two or three intersections and that is if they are working. Any woman would be crazy to walk around alone at this time of the night, but she is a trained agent who can fend off any untrained attackers with ease. She is minding her own business as she glances back to make sure she is the only one on the street and no one is following her. Not seeing anyone, she continues on. She has information on their next mission that will allow Gaez to finish off the rest of her team. Amy never did like her partners very much. Carina was always too much of a slut for her own good. Zondra was too much of a hard ass. Sarah was alright in Amy's opinion. She was pretty normal and never annoyed Amy beyond belief. She is a young and smart agent, but she will be an unfortunate casualty in all of this.

Amy makes it to her destination and steps into a door on her left. She walks through with an air of confidence and greed as she steps through another door and into a room where Gaez's second in command is waiting. "I'm glad you could make it," the man smirks at the sight of the beautiful blonde.

"It's never gonna happen, Rico," Amy deadpans with a slightly disgusted expression. "Now, you have the money ready or not?"

"You underestimate me, *Agent* Barrett," he smiles as he turns a laptop towards her direction. The screen is lit up with a page asking for the bank account number for a transfer of funds. "We just need the information and your bank account number."

Amy explains her mission details in full discretion to Rico; the ten million dollars clouding her mind of any morality. "So, I just need to put my account number into the computer and the ten mil is mine?" Amy asks as she tries to stifle the smirk threatening to break her calm exterior.

"So, you want Gaez to just kill all your partners?" Rico asks with slight disbelief.

"That's what I said."

"Why not capture them? We can *pump* them for information," Rico smirks evilly. "I especially like the other blonde. Whatsername?"

"Yea, we all get you like blondes," Amy deadpans with a repulsed scowl. She would never insinuate rape on anyone; being a woman who could see the horridness of it, but she couldn't care less about that slut, Carina. "You can have the redhead. She'd probably enjoy it," Amy lets out an evil laugh at the thought.

"Fuck that bitch," Carina whispers in anger from their hidden perch under the small window to the room Amy and Rico are in from the alley along the side of the building. "I'll show her my own torture techniques."

"I'm sure that includes a surplus of dildos and whips," Sarah quips with an eye roll.

"Will you two shut up," Zondra hisses back to her two partners, who promptly quiet down.

"So, we're good then," Amy states as she steps up to the laptop.

"Yes we are. Gaez thanks you for this," Rico grins at the thought of mending Amy's partners to his will. She may've planned to have them killed but Gaez will see the perks of having the C.A.T. Squad around.

Amy types her bank account number and password into the computer. A load bar quickly fills up and reads '_Transfer Complete.'_ Amy smiles as she pulls out her phone. She quickly checks her bank account to see the increase in money. "Pleasure doing business with you," she states ominously as she leaves the room.

"She seems like a completely different person," Carina muses.

"The ditzy slut thing was just an act," Sarah grumbles angrily. "Let's get in there and capture Rico before he can tell Gaez anything."

"Already ahead of you," Zondra smirks as she pulls a pistol from behind her back.

"We need him alive," Sarah refreshes Zondra's memory.

"A shot to the kneecap won't kill him… for long at least," Zondra smiles deviously.

"Just make sure he is alive," Sarah shakes her head incredulously.

All three spies sneak a look into the window to see Rico close his laptop and head out the back door. The women hurry to the end of the building to see Rico walking mindlessly as he cannot be happier; his mind imagining the blonde C.A.T. naked and handcuffed behind her back as she is forced on her knees and…

"Freeze!" Zondra states in a harsh authoritative whisper; breaking Rico from his ultimate fantasy.

"What?" He turns as he reaches for the gun behind his back.

Sarah quickly tackles him onto the ground before he could grip his gun. He falls awkwardly onto his right arm; his wrist making a sickening crunch. He lets out a shriek of pain before Sarah nails him with a right hook to the eye. "You disgusting pig," she spits out with pure venom as she cocks her fist back for another punch.

Carina catches Sarah's hand and glances at her with determination. "We need him alive," the eldest member of the team reminds the youngest member.

"Fine," Sarah huffs as she gets off the beaten man and removes the gun from behind his back.

"You bitch!" Rico hollers in anguish. "You broke my wrist!"

"Be happy I didn't break something else," Sarah states smugly as she presses the balls of her foot against his crotch.

Rico whimpers under the pressure on his groin. "Please, stop! I need those!" He cries in utter fear. "What do you want?"

"Well that was quick," Zondra quips with a victorious grin.

**August 16, 2004**

"Ellie, it's amazing," Chuck happily brags through his phone as he sits on the couch. "There's even a guest bedroom if you guys ever want to visit."

"Really?" Ellie cheers proudly for her brother. "I'm so happy for you Chuck. You've really done it," she states emotionally as she has never felt so proud for her little brother.

"Ellie, stop it," Chuck knows how emotional she can get. "This is a joyous occasion. Bryce and I are doing well for ourselves."

"I want you to come home for your birthday next month," Ellie demands sincerely. "I haven't seen you in over a year. I won't take no for an answer."

"I'll have to see if I can get work off but, I can't promise anything."

"You better be here. Morgan's been by to make sure I don't miss you too much."

"Morgan's growing on you?" Chuck smiles mirthfully. Morgan and Ellie have always had an estranged relationship ever since Morgan confessed his love for her when he was only ten years old. He was and still is hopelessly infatuated with her and Ellie just found it creepy.

"We bonded over an 'I miss Chuck' moment," Ellie replies in a sweet tone.

"That's great," Chuck is ecstatic to know his sister and childhood friend are bonding finally. It only took seventeen years, six months, and twenty-two days… or something like that.

"Is there anyone else in your life?" Ellie asks cautiously.

"What do you mean?" Chuck furrows his brow as he knows where this conversation is headed.

"Are there any women in your life?" Ellie clarifies but still keeps it slightly cryptic.

"Well, there's Sarah," Chuck shrugs innocently as he pictures the beautiful leggy blonde smiling with her bright blue eyes. He is wondering how her mission is going in Brazil. She hasn't called him or updated him since.

"Are you guys dating?" Ellie asks anxiously.

"No, we're not dating," Chuck deadpans as he knows how his sister can become a relentless matchmaker. "She's just a friend and co-worker."

"Do you like her?" Ellie expertly prods.

"Yea, she's nice and fun to hang out with," Chuck replies as he dances around the answers Ellie is looking for.

"Tell me about her," Ellie dons her matchmaker persona.

"Okay…" Chuck decides to humor her. "She's tall, blonde, blue eyes, and very beautiful and smart."

"You do like her!" Ellie shouts excitedly.

"What?" Chuck splutters out as he flinches back. "How do you get that from that?"

"Oh, Chuck, ask her out on a date. You're a handsome charming guy. I know you can do it."

"Ellie, you're crazy," Chuck replies jokingly. "We're just coworkers. We rarely even see each other." _She's in Brazil for goodness sake,_ Chuck shouts to himself.

"Chuck, you're always so dense. Just ask her out for some coffee the next time you see her then," Ellie nearly demands in a surprisingly sweet tone.

"I'll see," Chuck relents as he knows Ellie will never give up on playing matchmaker for Chuck.

"That's all I ask," Ellie smiles victoriously.

"I have to go, El," Chuck smiles ruefully. "It was great talking with you and I hope you and Captain Awesome are still doing well."

"We are," Ellie smiles brightly. "Devon is great."

"That's good to hear," Chuck again smiles sadly. "I'll try to call you another time, Ellie. I love you."

"I love you too, Chuck," Ellie smiles gloomily. "Please don't hesitate to call."

"I won't," Chuck assures encouragingly. "Goodbye, Ellie."

"Goodbye, Chuck," Ellie states with a sorrowful tone before ending the call.

"You like Sarah?" Bryce asks as amusement dances along his grin. Chuck opens his mouth to protest, but Bryce continues. "I don't blame you. She's freakin' hot. And I don't mean like 'good looking' hot. I mean *hot,*" Bryce drawls incessantly dramatic.

Chuck rolls his eyes at Bryce. "Yes," Chuck deadpans as he corrects Bryce's derogatory statement, "she is very beautiful."

"Yea, maybe the next time I see her I'll take a shot at that," Bryce states in passing as he walks back into his room.

Chuck scowls deeply at Bryce's words.

**August 17, 2004**

The CATs have their guns readied as they are sneaking up on a safe-house that their intel directed as Gaez's. They make their way to the door of the warehouse, but it is locked.

Gaez and his fifteen men are waiting patiently behind cover inside the warehouse that Rico told him about. He isn't sure why Rico couldn't be part of the raid as he talked about taking that one blonde for a ride or two so adamantly before, but Gaez isn't a complete monster. He's not going to save her for him. Gaez shrugs as he doesn't care if Rico missed his chance to have some fun. Gaez cannot wipe the wicked smile off his face as he is finally going to end the pesky CAT Squad who kept him on his toes for the last three and a half months.

According to Rico, the CATs should be sneaking in through the door on the left in the next minute. Gaez watches in anticipation with his assault rifle at his hip as he sees the door handle tremble as someone from outside tries to open it.

"I got this," Sarah smirks as she pulls out a lock pick set. Lock picking was one of the first skills she learned when she was only ten. The years of CIA training and so forth have only increased her skill and ability. Sarah expertly slides a pin into the key slot along with another L-shaped tool. She jiggles the two tools before a resounding click informs her that the door is now unlocked. "Piece of cake," Sarah pockets her kit in her leg pocket of her BDU pants.

Amy makes sure she is in the aft of the group so she could lock them in. "Ready?" Zondra looks at the rest of the CATs.

"One sec," Carina kneels to tie the strings of her boot; logically managing to get behind Amy by stepping over to a curb a few feet behind Amy. Amy winces but keeps her cool as she takes the third position. Carina rejoins the group behind Amy a few seconds later.

"Would you like to go first, Amy?" Sarah asks sincerely.

"I'm good, go ahead," Amy smiles subtly at Sarah.

"No, I think it would be better if you go first," Sarah sweetly insists.

"Just in case of an ambush," Zondra finishes with a smirk.

Amy tenses for the slightest second and before she could say anything, a gun is pressed to her back. "I think you're going first," Carina responds amusedly as she digs the barrel of the pistol into Amy's lower back. "It's a democracy after all."

"What gave me away?" Amy asks with a sigh of resignation.

"The deposits into your bank account. A little too obvious," Sarah responds smugly as Amy makes it to the door. "Go on in."

Amy grips the handle to the door and hesitantly turns it.

Gaez watches as they door handle spins from someone intending to enter. He readies his assault rifle against his shoulder and aims it at the door. Suddenly, shattering glass falls onto him from the ceiling sky windows and multiple cylindrical objects fall to the floor and spew out a yellowish gas. "Tear gas!" Gaez shouts but it is too late.

Soldiers in all black outfits and gas masks repel from the roof firing at any enemies they see while more enemies rush in through the main door. Gaez fires erratically before a bullet clips him in the shoulder and incapacitates him. The strike team makes quick work of Gaez's men; having only three injured but they'll still make a full recovery. They quickly apprehend Gaez and any other survivors with wrist ties while securing the rest of the complex.

Amy opens the door; ready for an onslaught of bullets to riddle her body, but nothing happens. She is pushed farther into the warehouse where there seems to be no one ready for the ambush. "Looking for your good friend, Augusto?" Carina asks mockingly.

"He's busy being arrested by a strike team," Sarah is just too happy to inform Amy.

"Well, should we see what we've got in here?" Zondra asks as she cuts the lock off a large freighter bin. Carina ties Amy's hands behind her back with a wrist tie and removes all the weapons on her person. Zondra opens the bin and through the darkness at the other end of the bin, she sees multiple pairs of glimmering.

Sarah is standing at the entrance to the bin as she sees the glimmerings cautiously move closer to her and as they reach the light, Sarah sees the glimmering of the eyes of the captives as they warily walk into the light with an awed expression.

"Não se preocupe," Sarah assures their safety in Portugese and a pleasant smile, "você está seguro agora."

"Você é um anjo?" A young girl who cannot be older than fifteen asks if Sarah is an angel.

"Não," Sarah smiles sincerely at the young girl. "nós somos os mocinhos. You're all safe now."

"Obrigado!" The girl nearly shouts her gratitude as tears of joy form in her eyes.

Sarah, Zondra, and Carina forced Rico to give Gaez the wrong information. Gaez believed he was ambushing the CAT Squad, but in reality, Sarah placed a call to Graham to send an army to ambush Gaez.

"Strike team, report in," Sarah states to the earpiece in her ear.

"Strike team Leader Robbins. Everything is secure on our side. Gaez and three of his men are in custody. We found over a hundred kilos of cocaine here too."

"Roget that. We found some captives here and Barrett is in custody. Great job."

"You too, Agent Walker."

**August, 18, 2004**

Chuck was summoned to Graham's office alone. Chuck is a little hesitant to comply, but he reluctantly steps into the waiting area. "Hi, Jennifer," Chuck smiles thinly at the assistant.

"Hey, Chuck," she smiles back.

"How's it in there?" Chuck asks with slight fear.

"He's actually in a good mood. I think you did something right for once," she grins brightly at the younger man with an amused tone. "Go on in."

"Thank you, Jennifer," Chuck curtly nods as he walks into the office. Graham is sitting in his chair and he smiles at Chuck.

"Carmichael," he says in a light tone, "I just got off the phone with my agent down in Brazil, Sarah Walker. She told me what you did for her."

Chuck feels a knowable tingle in the back of his head as he starts to fall into a flash on hearing Sarah's full name. He furiously glares at a book on Graham's bookshelf, which just happens to be _The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_. Chuck sees an image of a statue of an angel before the flash fades and his vision retreats back to normal without him seeing anything from the flash. _Hmm, he likes that book too, _Chuck muses in slight surprise.

"Did you just…?" Graham asks in awe.

"I stopped it, sir," Chuck replies cordially. "It's not my place to know her past."

"True and very earnest of you," Graham grins subtly at his only Intersect agent with slight surprise of his gentility.

"I just can't believe it worked," Chuck states in awe. "I've never stopped a flash before."

"It's good you're learning to control it more," Graham smiles at Chuck. "So, where was I? Ah, yes, your help was invaluable to the CAT Squad."

"Thank you, sir," Chuck nods curtly as he feels a small tremor of fear creep up his spine because he technically illegally hacked into the government database.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble," Graham reads the fear on his expression. "You not only helped find a mole, but helped catch one of the biggest drug dealers in the world," Graham assures happily.

"Um, thank you, sir," Chuck smiles in wonder with slight shock as he puts more emotion behind his gratitude.

"Agent Walker is very canny and knows how to use her resources to make things happen."

"Yes, she is," Chuck agrees completely. _And very beautiful, sincere, and friendly,_ Chuck's mind continues. "I was glad to help, sir."

"That's what I like about you, Chuck. You enjoy helping people. A lot of agents only do it for a means to an end, but you actually care about the people who need saving."

"It is very accomplishing to know you're helping the world," Chuck replies truthfully.

"Yes it is," Graham nods in agreement. "So how do you feel about Agent Walker?"

"What do you mean, sir?" Chuck furrows his brow as he isn't sure if Graham means personally or professionally.

"Well, from your training with her, what impression did she make on you?"

"She is very good at what she does. She is smart, beautiful, and a quick thinker. She is also extremely good at hand-to-hand combat," Chuck states truthfully.

"I'm sure you saw firsthand what she can do," Graham smirks about his top agent and protégé being one of the top fighters he has ever seen.

"Yes, she could be quite frightening," Chuck chuckles mirthfully as he remembers the many times she put him on his ass.

"How would you like her to be your new partner?" Graham asks seriously.

"I'd be honored," Chuck responds instantly with no hesitation and an upbeat tone.

"Female agents have certain skills that make them invaluable in certain missions."

"You would make her do that?" Chuck asks in a shocked whisper. He cannot believe Graham would even think about making someone give their body up for anything.

"No," Graham smiles humorously at Chuck's miscalculation. "While some missions require that much dedication, Agent Walker is better than that. She can extract the information without having to sleep with her marks. But her seduction skills are some of the best this agency has ever seen. Plus, it helps to have another expertly trained agent protecting the only Intersect."

"I wouldn't mind a little extra defense, sir," Chuck smiles at his fault on Graham's words earlier. "She is the best fighter I've seen so far, but isn't she with the CAT Squad?"

"Well, the DEA needs Agent Miller to sort out all the drugs while Agent Rizzo is taking care of Gaez and Barrett. The CAT Squad is no more after Gaez. It was a onetime effort between the CIA and DEA. Agent Walker is already on a flight back to Washington and will be reporting in tomorrow at 0900 hours. I expect you and Larkin to be here too. But you cannot discuss the Intersect in front of Agent Walker. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," Chuck nods affirmatively.

"And make sure Larkin knows this too," Graham commands seriously.

"I will," Chuck smiles happily as he feels an odd sensation flow through his body and his heart gets heavy with joy. He's going to see Sarah again and cannot be happier about the revelation.

**Blame Google Translate for the Portugese translations. I don't know the language at all. Next mission will be their first as a trio.**

**Please review.**


	11. The Start to a Budding Partnership

**It is always depressing to see a story taken down from the site, especially a story that captured so many readers' interests. It is quite sad that fellow fanfiction writers cannot share their glory with each other. This site has not only given me something enjoyable to delve into, but I've made friendships with other writers that I don't think any other show could possibly create. I've had serious conversations, humorous conversations, recommendation conversations, fact-sharing conversations, yet all of them were fun and enjoyable because everyone on this site is sincere and helpful.**

**Thank you for the reviews so far. They've been wonderful to read and bring joy to me when I get that little "unread messages" number next to the inbox.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**August 19, 2004**

Sarah was informed that she was joining a new team. She is a little annoyed and disappointed because she, Carina, and Zondra made a great team in apprehending Gaez and Amy, but she realizes that Carina being DEA has a different occupation than Sarah and Zondra. Zondra was also needed to locate the stragglers of Gaez's men, so Sarah was promptly assigned to a new team. She made sure to get the phone numbers and email addresses of the other CAT Squad members before leaving. She never realized how great it feels to have friends and people who care about her. Her whole life she grew up with no friends except her father because they moved around so often.

Sarah steps into Graham's waiting room ten minutes before nine in the morning. "Hello, Jennifer," Sarah smiles at the receptionist. "How are you?"

"I'm great. My husband just got a raise in his job," Jennifer responds happily.

"That's great," Sarah grins as she takes a seat. Sarah has gotten some dirty scowls from a few of the CIA employees, which Sarah has no idea why, but Jennifer has always been very sweet and sincere from the minute they met.

"How're you, Sarah?"

"I'm fine," Sarah shrugs. "New assignment, new partners," Sarah responds nonchalantly.

"Well, I can tell you your new teammates are very handsome," Jennifer smiles deviously. "You're gonna have some hunky competition," she grins at the joke as she replaced the customary 'healthy' with 'hunky.'

"I think I can manage," Sarah shakes her head in disbelief. Jennifer has always been a bit of a flirt and seeing the different handsome agents walk in is one of her favorite perks to her job; not that she would ever cheat on her husband who she loves dearly, but there is nothing wrong with a little eye candy.

Less than a minute later, Chuck and Bryce walk into the reception area. "Hi, Jennifer," Chuck chirps happily. He was so excited to see Sarah again that he cannot contain his happiness as it seeps into his tone. He turns to see Sarah smiling with surprise at Chuck from the seat across the room. She is so gorgeous in her dark blue business skirt and white dress shirt under her dark blue jacket. Her golden blonde hair is lightly waved down over her shoulders and her eyes are shimmering with those sapphire orbs. "Hey, Sarah," Chuck greets with the largest smile.

"Chuck?" She smiles happily. She kind of missed the two of them. "Bryce? What are you guys doing here?"

"Looks like we're going to be your new partners," Bryce responds with a charming smile.

"Graham would like to see you guys now," Jennifer interrupts candidly.

"Thanks, Jennifer," Chuck grins at her.

Jennifer blushes the slightest tinge of red. Sarah notices it and hopes she didn't look like that when she saw Chuck's humongous smile because it would be unprofessional. Her cheeks didn't scald and her skin didn't tingle so she doesn't think she blushed, but she can't be certain without a mirror. The three agents walk into Graham's office and he smiles at them. "Please take a seat," he motions to the seats.

Sarah sits between the two men and waits for Graham to continue.

"I reviewed your files during training and you three worked well together," Graham explains. "I hope that can continue for the foreseeable future. Do any of you have any problems with the new arrangements?"

"Not at all," Sarah responds first followed by Chuck and Bryce nodding.

"Good, because I already have your next mission, which will need Agent Walker's skills," Graham explains to the agents. "Your next mission is to apprehend Dr. Parnassus who is trying to sell our secrets to enemy organizations. I need you to attend a gala, locate him, and apprehend him without causing a commotion. He has a chip on him that we cannot let fall into enemy hands. Agent Larkin and Walker, your cover will be as a married couple while Agent Carmichael, you will monitor them through the van and help locate Dr. Parnassus."

"Yes sir," the agents all chime in unison.

As they make their way out of his office, Chuck smiles genuinely at Sarah. "It's good to see you again, Sarah." His heart tightens with a sensation he cannot place yet.

"It's good to see you guys, too," she responds with a smile. "So, what car did you end up getting?"

Chuck nervously scratches the back of his head as he sheepishly answers, "Well, the G35." He sees the mirthfully smug expression forming on her face and cuts her off. "It was a good choice," he offers lamely.

"That's why I suggested it," she directs another one of her dazzling smiles at Chuck. Chuck doesn't know how he is still standing after seeing the sight of such beauty.

**August 23, 2004**

Chuck procured the surveillance van with all the necessary equipment for the mission tonight and is walking through the hotel room the CIA issued them to stay in. Chuck makes his way to Sarah's room as he doesn't need to dress up in a formal outfit like Bryce and Sarah do. He knocks on her door and she opens it with a small smile on her face. She is wearing a dashing dark red dress with a single shoulder sash. She looks absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. Chuck's eyes widen involuntarily as he sees her standing in the doorway like a goddess welcoming him to heaven. Her lips are a thick red that goes with the dress while her blue eyes are such a beautiful contrast in color. The dress and lipstick bring her eyes out further to magnify her beauty, if that is even possible. Her hair is combed to one side of her head and rests just over her left eye leaving a mysterious shadow over half her face.

"Come in," she smiles as she moves out of the way.

"You look absolutely gorgeous," Chuck spurts out impulsively before scolding himself for being so upfront.

"Thank you," she shuts the door behind him with a bashful smile; acting like she didn't know how beautiful she was until he voiced it. "The mission should be simple. Bryce and I go in. Get him alone and recover the chip while arresting him for treason."

"That about does it. I'll keep an eye out for him. I'll hack into the security systems once we get there," Chuck informs her casually.

"I'm happy you got the curls back," she mirthfully runs her hand through his brown curly hair; sending those shivers through his body and making him smile like a complete fool. Again, he thanks whatever higher power for not giving him a tail because it would be wagging erratically. "You look cuter with them." Chuck's hair has grown slightly since his last haircut and his hair is on the brink of curling into complete circles, but not quite at the animal shapes length.

Chuck blushes immensely. He can feel the redness overtake his entire neck and cheeks as his skin burns a deep crimson. _Does she not know what she is doing to me?_ Chuck asks himself in awe and incredulity. "Thanks," he croaks shyly.

"You're welcome. So where's Bryce?" She asks right before a knock on the door interrupts them.

"That would be him," Chuck silently blesses the interruption as he gets up and answers it to see Bryce in a formal tuxedo and his hair nicely gelled back. "Hey, James Bond. You ready to go?" Chuck asks with a small smile at the penguin outfit Bryce is wearing.

"Ready when you guys are," he answers coolly as he walks in.

"Let me just put the finishing touches to my makeup," Sarah disappears in the bathroom for a couple minutes and then reappears looking just as beautiful except for her cheeks are a little more rosy.

Chuck drives them to the gala and stops a block away. He grabs the ear pieces and hands them to Bryce and Sarah. "Put these in," he informs them. "Your watches have the microphones in them and I've got the security cameras up."

"Sounds good buddy," Bryce pats Chuck on the shoulder. Chuck opens the door for them to get out. "Have fun in the van," Bryce grins smugly.

"Shut up," Chuck rolls his eyes before donning a serious expression. "Be careful and good luck," Chuck sincerely gives them his graces.

"Thanks," Sarah gives him a reassuring squeeze on his upper arm before heading out. Chuck closes the door as he might be imagining the soft clouds he is being enveloped in just from her touch. He finally emerges from his stupor and watches Sarah and Bryce through the cameras as they walk up to the mansion.

Bryce and Sarah get into the party; their arms intertwined like a couple very much in love. Chuck feels a tinge of jealousy as he wishes he could be the one doing that with her. They make their way around the gala looking for Dr. Parnassus while Chuck searches through the numerous camera feeds. After searching for a couple minutes, he locates him. "I found him," Chuck informs Bryce and Sarah. "He's in the corner by the piano." Chuck looks for Bryce and Sarah and sees them kissing as they inconspicuously blend in with the crowd. Chuck feels a strong tug of jealousy in his chest. _What I would give to kiss her just once_, Chuck muses enviously. _They are only doing their jobs;_ he chides himself less than a second later for feeling envy.

"Roger that," Bryce says into the microphone while his mouth is centimeters from Sarah as he appears to be ghosting a kiss over her cheek. They both make their way towards the main room with the grand piano in the corner. "We see the mark," Bryce informs Chuck. "Sarah, you think you can get him alone?"

"I think so," Sarah affirms haughtily. "What do we have on him?"

Chuck quickly brings up Parnassus's file on the laptop inside the van. "Ask him about his job and he should go off and start boasting about what he's done for the government. Remember, don't panic."

"Thanks Chuck," she releases herself from Bryce and heads over to Dr. Parnassus. Chuck watches carefully as Sarah engages into a conversation flawlessly and gets Parnassus going. Sarah acts like an interested listener until she finds a break in his shameless boasting. "Would you like to go somewhere more private?" She asks innocently with a hint of naughtiness. "I'd love to hear more about your work."

"Sure," Parnassus tries to slide his arm into hers and Sarah lets him to make him feel like he's in control. He has a huge smile on his face as he has never had someone so gorgeous this interested in his work. Chuck can't blame him really. If a woman as beautiful as her was interested in him, he would be revealing secrets as if they were oxygen. That's the epitome of the honey trap.

Sarah leads him into an empty room that houses a large cedar desk and some bookshelves. It is some kind of private office for the owner of the mansion they are in. As they get in, Sarah smiles at him. "So, what was that last thing you were telling me? Something with the CIA?" She puts on an adorable look that no one could possibly resist long enough to not indulge into as she purses her lips subtly and gazes through her upper eyelashes.

"Is that really what you want to talk about right now?" He asks seductively as he tries to glide his hand around her back to cop a feel of her perfect robust tight ass in her delectable red dress.

She catches his hand with unbelievable speed before it could touch her and shoves it back at him forcefully. "Actually, yea it is," Sarah drops the whole ditzy persona and looks at him intimidatingly with a hint of anger. He shivers slightly under her menacing glare. "I want to know where the chip is."

"What?" Parnassus backs up in fear. Bryce walks into the room and locks the door. Parnassus looks over at him. "Who are you? Who do you work for?"

"The CIA knows about your deal to sell the chip," Bryce says as he walks up to Parnassus in a threatening way as he ominously plays with the gun in his hand. "You shouldn't sell out your country like that."

"How did you know?"

"Give us the chip," Sarah demands seriously. The intimidating look on her face reads if he doesn't comply, he will be missing a finger or another appendage in the next ten seconds. It actually makes Chuck quiver and he's only seeing it through a grainy security camera.

"What are you going to do to me?" Parnassus asks as his voice wavers with fear and he backs into a bookshelf; cornering himself.

"That depends on if you give us the chip," Bryce steps closer to him as he speaks in an ominous tone with hints of humor.

"Okay, okay," he sticks his hand in his jacket pocket and pulls out a small computer chip. "Here, just… just don't hurt me."

"Thank you," Sarah takes it happily and pockets it in her purse. "Now come with us," she leads them to the door.

Bryce gets right behind Parnassus and guides him out. They extract him successfully and tranquilize him just outside of the van. Chuck helps Bryce get him inside and Sarah handcuffs him. "That seemed to work quite well," Chuck muses with a grin.

"I miss simple snatch and grab missions," Sarah smiles brightly at Chuck_. God, I love that smile of hers_, Chuck's mind reminds him. It is so heartwarming that it causes him to smile back. He finally climbs back into the front seat and drives away.

**August 23, 2004**

Bryce and Sarah retired to their respective hotel rooms while Chuck is alone in his own room. Chuck pulls his laptop out and powers it up. After it loads completely, he starts a secure video conference call with Director Graham. "Agent Carmichael, what do you have for me?" Graham asks impatiently.

"We've recovered the chip and Parnassus is in custody," Chuck explains aptly.

"So there were no problems with the new team arrangements?" Graham asks for final resolution.

"Not a problem sir."

"Good, now I want you to load the chip onto your computer. See if there is anything you flash on."

"Yes, sir," Chuck nods affirmatively just before Graham ends the feed.

Chuck pulls out his computer toolkit and removes a device that is a USB plug connected to a red and black wire with a small clip on each end. Chuck clips the red and black cables to the chip and inserts the USB into his computer. The computer reads the data on the chip and opens a window for him. A file appears in an encrypted format. Chuck immediately flashes at seeing the encryption page.

_A monarch butterfly_

_A state-of-the-art government encryption code_

_A pattern in the code to reveal the bypass password_

_A monarch butterfly_

Chuck shakes himself out of the flash as he types in the password. The file opens to a video of Chuck and Bryce training with Sarah from what looks like a security camera in the corner of the dojo. "What the…?" Chuck trails off with a furrowed brow as he continues to watch. The video ends and another one plays another security footage of Chuck and Bryce training with Sergeant Marks. The last video is of Chuck and Bryce walking into Graham's reception area and making small talk with Jennifer before vanishing into Graham's office. The video ends and a black screen displays as the video clips are over and there isn't anything more on the chip.

Chuck doesn't know what to think. He felt an eccentric case of déjà vu as he just relived those moments like they were yesterday. "This can't be good," Chuck muses as he thinks about how they could have so much information on him. Parnassus or whoever put the files on the chip must know Chuck is the Intersect then. Chuck quickly recalls Graham on a secure conference call as this is a prudent revelation.

"What did you find?" Graham asks curiously as his face appears on Chuck's laptop.

"The data… it's of me," Chuck states slightly flabbergasted.

"What?" Graham's eyes widen in shock.

"There were videos of Bryce and I training with Sarah and then Sergeant Marks and one more of Bryce and I walking into your office," Chuck explains thoroughly.

"Damn," Graham huffs as ponders deeply for a second. "Chuck, I want you to destroy the chip. No one could know it existed. You hear me?"

"You don't have to ask twice," Chuck assures seriously. Why would he want to keep a file of himself in the risk of an enemy acquiring it?

"Outstanding work, Agent Carmichael," Graham states with relief. He knows if that chip got out into enemy's hands, Chuck would be hunted down by whoever wanted the Intersect. "Relay my praises to Agent Walker and Larkin."

"Yes, sir," Chuck nods as Graham ends the call.

Graham pinches the bridge of his nose as he sighs in contemplation. He doesn't know how they figured out Chuck was the Intersect. He needs to figure out who gave the chip to Parnassus.

**I hope you enjoyed their first mission as a team. I'm going through some major writer's block and cannot think of the next mission, so if anyone has any ideas, they would be most appreciated. I'm obviously not as skilled as the writers of season 1, 2, second half of season 3, and 4. I don't know where they came up with the ideas, because I'm at a loss and don't want to repeat the similar mission.**

**Please review.**


	12. And the Plot Thickens

**Thanks for all the reviews. They are a real inspiration to continue this story. And I'm always open to ideas if you think they could help strengthen this story.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**August 24, 2004**

Chuck glances down both ends of the aisle of the airplane before letting his long right leg leisurely extend into the aisle. He then glances over to his two partners, Sarah and Bryce. Bryce is asleep with his face against the window while Sarah is starting to nod off as her eyes lazily droop. Chuck smiles at the adorable look on her face. "Sarah?" He asks softly.

"Yea, Chuck?" She looks at him with a renewed energy and a curious grin.

"Do you need a place to stay in D.C.?" Chuck asks sincerely. "We have an extra bedroom in our apartment if you need a place to stay."

"Thank you for the offer, but I already have my own apartment," Sarah cannot help but grin at Chuck's generosity. It is so rare for an agent to be so selfless. He is definitely a different type of agent.

"Okay, good," Chuck nods safely knowing Sarah has a place to live. "You can go back to sleep now. Sorry for the intrusion," he smiles widely at her.

"I don't know what it is with planes, but they always put me to sleep," Sarah lightheartedly confesses.

"I have the same problem with cars," Chuck responds. "It is like it just rocks you to sleep."

"I know!" Sarah agrees whole heartedly.

"Well, you have a perfectly good pillow right here," Chuck taps his shoulder with a humorous tone.

"Mmm…" Sarah nuzzles her cheek against his left shoulder and smiles with her eyes closed. "So comfortable."

Chuck lets out a goodhearted laugh as she pulls his upper arm closer to her. Before Chuck realizes it, Sarah's grip relaxes as she falls into a comfortable slumber against his shoulder.

**August 29, 2004**

Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce sit down in Graham's office after he called them in. Graham studies his agents until Sarah speaks up. "Sir, what was on the chip we acquired from Parnassus?" She asks curiously.

Chuck's face contorts as he remembers watching the videos of Bryce and himself before destroying the chip.

"Don't worry about it," Graham assures coolly. "It was just some intel on a mission a while back."

"Alright, sir," Sarah lets it go as she doesn't feel there would be any reason for him to lie about it.

"We're looking for this man," Graham slides a grainy pixelated security image of a broad chinned, beady eyed man with smooth suave hairstyle.

Chuck's eyelids flutter as he feels the tingle of a flash.

_A deck of playing cards._

_David Andrews, rogue CIA agent._

_2436 North Radon Drive, Atlanta, Georgia._

_A deck of playing cards._

Chuck quickly shakes himself out of the flash. "That's David Andrews, a CIA agent who went rogue two weeks ago. He has an apartment in Atlanta," Chuck explains the contents of his flash.

"How did you know that?" Sarah asks in awe as she stares at him.

"Did you just…" Bryce is about to ask if he just flashed when Graham interrupts him.

"He has good memory," Graham explains as he glares at Bryce, who is now quieter than a mime.

"Yea," Chuck goes along with Graham's explanation even though he hates lying to Sarah. "I remember reading his file not too long ago. I guess I just happened to remember it." He smiles as disarmingly as possible to relinquish any curiosities growing inside Sarah.

"I want you guys to go to his apartment and look for clues," Graham gives them their orders. Sarah has to tear her studying gaze from Chuck to look at Graham.

"Yes, sir," Chuck states as they all nod.

**August 29, 2004**

The team is situated on the roof of the building across from Andrew's apartment building. They are all in black BDU outfits to blend in with the dark sky. Once again, Sarah fell asleep on the flight and used Chuck's shoulder as a pillow, which he enjoyed almost as much as she probably did. Sarah is looking down on the apartment with a pair of binoculars. She tries to get a view inside, but the lights are out and it is utter darkness from the window since it is already past eight at night.

"I can't get a visual on anything in there," Sarah informs her partners.

Bryce twists the silencer onto his pistol as he gazes up at her while Chuck is loading his tranquilizer pistol. "We'll watch to see if anyone comes or goes and sneak in at two," Bryce explains their plan.

"Alright," Sarah lowers the binoculars as there is no immediate threat to look out for. "Chuck, what's with the tranq gun?" Sarah queries curiously with a furrowed brow. She has never met an agent who used a tranquilizer pistol over a real one.

"It's quieter, nonlethal, and lighter," Chuck answers as if he had rehearsed it many times in front of a mirror as he smiles sincerely.

Bryce snorts at Chuck's comment, as he knows the real reason that Chuck doesn't use a real gun.

Sarah furrows her brow at her blue-eyed partner before looking back at Chuck. "I guess that makes sense," she shrugs as she takes a seat on the two foot wall around the roof of the building. "I'm sorry about the flight, Chuck," she smiles shyly at him.

"It's not a problem," Chuck assures candidly.

"I've just never had that problem before. Maybe your shoulder is just really comfy," she grins playfully.

"Quite possibly," Chuck quips with a large smile. "I might have to update my online dating profile." He smiles charmingly at her as she lets out a goodhearted laugh.

"You're funny," she says happily. "I like that."

"Well, if you ever need a shoulder to sleep on, I'm right here," his stunning smile lets Sarah know he is just goofing around, but will relinquish his shoulder to her if she wanted it.

Bryce watches the interaction between his two partners with a keen eye. Chuck almost seems to be flirting with Sarah and she seems to be enjoying it. He knows spies aren't supposed to fall in love and personal relationships are damaging to the team.

**August 30, 2004**

As the clock ticks to 1:59am, Chuck packs away the last of their surveillance equipment in the government issued vehicle. There was no movement in Andrews' apartment and only three people left or entered the entire apartment building itself. Chuck quickly meets up with Sarah and Bryce in the alley beside the apartment building, who are waiting with night vision goggles over their heads. Luckily, Andrews' apartment has a direct window to the fire escape, which he probably chose for easier access to fleeing in any case, but it works both ways.

"Ok, I'm ready," Chuck informs them while adjusting his night vision goggles over his head as Sarah slides her Smith and Wesson Model 5906 with a silencer attached to it behind her back.

"Let's go," Sarah states before pulling her mask over her head. Chuck and Bryce follow suit and glance at each other.

"Bring back any memories?" Bryce asks amusedly.

"Yea," Chuck scoffs childishly, "me saving your ass in training."

"Oh shut up," Bryce shakes his head mirthfully.

"Guys…" Sarah looks at the two men with an impatient look. "A little help?" She points to the fire escape ladder ten feet in the air.

Bryce forms a step with his fingers interlaced in front of him. Sarah steps into his palms and Chuck places a secure hand on each thigh as he helps Bryce lift her up into the air as if she was a cheerleader and they were the base helpers. Sarah rises up in the air like an aquarium dolphin jumping as high as it can. She reaches the first grip of the ladder and lets her body weight pull it down. Chuck carefully guides her down with a secure hand on her hips; her shirt sliding up enough to just reveal the silky smooth skin of her lower back. The tautness and perfection of her hips was not lost on Chuck, nor was the fact his face was inches from her perfect ass.

"Thanks for the help," Sarah states as she starts climbing up.

"You're going first?" Bryce asks with a tinge of jealous.

"Ladies first, boys," Sarah states amusedly with a smirk that reaches her eyes as she looks down at them.

Chuck smiles through his mask at her playfulness, but doesn't like the idea of anyone having to go first because no one knows what's in there and he would never want anyone to get hurt or worse; especially someone he cares about like Sarah.

The three of them make it to Andrews' window. Sarah carefully inspects it for any alarm systems or traps. After feeling satisfied with her assumption, she looks back at the two men. "Who wants to help the damsel in distress?" She pouts through her mask in an innocent tone.

Bryce smirks under his mask as he slides his fingers under the window and pulls it up; opening the window. The window locks in place and Bryce smirks back at Sarah. "What happened to ladies first?" Bryce smirks as he pulls out his gun, slides his night vision goggles over his eyes, and disappears into the darkness.

Chuck watches Sarah shaking her head incredulously before she slips into the window. He smiles as he readies his tranq pistol, pulls his night vision goggles down, and slips into the darkness.

The three of them scour the apartment for anything that could lead them to Andrews' location. Chuck heads for the kitchen area while Bryce looks through the bedroom and Sarah looks around the living area.

"If this guy is a trained spy, then he wouldn't leave any clues, right?" Chuck queries hypothetically as he scours through the drawers in the kitchen only to find utensils and pans.

"Everyone leaves clues," Sarah assures. "Sometimes it is so obvious, they don't even realize it."

Chuck notices a notepad on the counter and pop culture gets the better of him as he grabs a pencil from the writing cup aptly next to the notepad. He lightly shades across the entire three inch by three inch yellow notepad with the side of the pencil. Like magic, the impressions from the previous note appear in a glaring yellow surrounded by the grey graphite. "No way," Chuck sighs in complete awe as the message appears over his pencil markings. Chuck grins like a fool as he reads the note:

_1250 Brook_

_Tues 7:30_

"Guys?" Chuck captures Sarah's attention with a smug whisper because he is so shocked it worked. "I think I have something here."

"What is it?" Sarah asks curiously as she stops checking each book in the bookshelf and walks over to him.

"It's a note for a meeting of some sorts," Chuck replies as he shows her the notepad.

"Today's Monday," Sarah muses. "That means this meeting is tomorrow."

"Yep," Chuck grins like a fool, "at 1250 Brook Street or Avenue or whatever it is called."

"Great job, Chuck," Sarah smiles under her mask, but Chuck can make out the outlines of her always dazzling smile.

"I just can't believe that worked," Chuck continues to grin childishly. _Pop culture comes through again,_ he muses happily.

Bryce walks out of the bedroom. "It's clean," Bryce muses. "The only thing I found was his backup piece," Bryce gingerly dangles the pistol from his gloved fingers.

"Don't worry, we have a lead," Sarah states confidently as she glances at the notepad in Chuck's hand.

**August 31, 2004**

After searching the location they found on the notepad, a 1250 Brook Avenue came up as the only existing location. After checking through the GPS, it turned out to be a hotel, the Grand Royal. Chuck slides the earpiece into his ear and looks to the back of the government-issued SUV. Sarah is in an attractive black dress that has loose sleeves and very modest in the chest department but not so much the leg department. Chuck can see from her six inch heels all the way up to her mid-thigh. His eyes quickly dart up to Sarah's gorgeous face. Chuck doesn't know how she does it, but she looks absolutely stunning with the thin black eye shadow and large black earrings. Bryce is in a business-casual black suit with no tie over his light blue dress shirt. He is fitting a pin camera to his lapel while Sarah is putting in the earpiece.

"You guys good to go?" Chuck asks from the front seat. "We only have thirty minutes till the meet."

"I got the camera in," Bryce informs Chuck before looking up at him.

"Good, it should record everything you see," Chuck explains as he hands Bryce an earpiece.

Bryce fits it in his ear and smiles at Sarah, "you ready Miss Walker?" He asks in a suave tone as he holds his hand out to her.

"After you," she grins as they step out of the SUV; Chuck once again being stuck as backup and surveillance as per Graham's orders.

"Keep in touch," Chuck demands sincerely. "I don't have any visual."

"No problem," Sarah smiles at Chuck.

"Be careful," Chuck states emotionally as he doesn't want anything to happen to either of them.

"Have fun in the van," Bryce smirks just before heading to the hotel entrance.

"Douche," Chuck mumbles to himself as he enviously as Sarah hooks her arm around Bryce's and they enter the hotel. Sarah is quickly becoming a huge part of his life and he doesn't know how to react to it.

Sarah and Bryce walk into the lobby and find an open couch where they have sight on the reception desk, the front entrance, and a narrow view into the bar.

Chuck watches through the main entrance as he sees Bryce and Sarah sit down in an unobstructed view from his location in the SUV across the street. Chuck, with the use of binoculars, constantly studies the face of every person who walks towards the hotel.

Twenty minutes later, Chuck recognizes their mark walking towards the hotel. "Guys, I see Andrews. He's entering the hotel now."

"Roger that," Sarah whispers into her watch inconspicuously.

Sarah and Bryce watch the entrance and when they see their mark walk in; they both turn to each other and start kissing in what looks like two people in love. Chuck watches through the binoculars as Bryce's hand caresses her cheek. Chuck's heart squeezes in anguish and he suddenly feels dejected for some odd reason.

Bryce watches with a keen eye over the left side of Sarah to see Andrews turn right and enter the bar. They break the kiss and Bryce pulls his watch to his mouth, "Andrews just went into the bar. We're moving to a better location."

"Roger that," Chuck replies a little unevenly. "I'm going to lose visual on you, so be careful."

Bryce and Sarah perkily wander into the bar as they cling to each other to give the allusion of a couple in love. They find two open seats at the bar and sit down. Sarah whispers something into Bryce's ear and he lets out an innocent laugh before the bartender asks them what drinks they wanted. As they both act like a loving couple, they inconspicuously watch Andrews through tentative sips of their drinks, who is sitting on a lounge couch alone.

Less than ten minutes later, a thin Samoan man with black hair waved back walks in and joins Andrews by sitting next to him on the lounge couch. "Looks like Andrews' friend has arrived," Bryce whispers into Sarah's earpiece as if he was whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

"Roger that," Chuck confirms. "Make sure you get a picture of him with your camera."

"Will do," Bryce affirms as he turns and grins at Sarah. He gives her a quick peck on the lips and stands up to stretch. As he stretches his muscles, he makes sure his camera pin gets a good three second video of Andrews and his guest before walking to the restroom.

Bryce enters the bathroom and makes sure it is empty. After checking under each stall, he pulls his watch to his mouth. "What's our next move?" He asks curiously. "Should we take 'em both out?"

"We don't know who this other guy is yet," Chuck replies seriously. "Let him go for now. We'll figure out who he is when we talk with Graham."

"Are you sure?" Bryce asks. "We could get both of them right now."

"Chuck's right," Sarah states analytically after weighing the options. "We don't know who this man is. We take out Andrews only."

"Fine," Bryce hesitantly agrees as he makes his way out of the restroom to join up with Sarah back at the bar.

After a few minutes, the Samoan man stands up and takes his leave. Another minute later, Andrews stands up and starts heading out of the hotel.

"Andrews is on the move," Sarah states as they inconspicuously follow Andrews out of the hotel. Andrews, being a professional spy, feels the paranoid thoughts of being followed and glances back at the blonde and brunette couple. He instantly bolts at a full sprint down the block.

"We've been made. He's running," Bryce states as he and Sarah take chase. Chuck starts the SUV and starts taking chase too as he turns the vehicle around.

Sarah and Bryce sprint as fast as they can when Sarah's heel breaks with a clicking sound and she stumbles with a loud grunt of pain. She tumbles over and scrapes her left knee on the cement sidewalk. Bryce continues to chase him down as Chuck sees Sarah hit the ground and his heart drops. He screeches the van to a halt and pulls up next to Sarah. He hurriedly climbs out and kneels over her. "Are you alright?" He asks worriedly as concern pours out of his tone.

"Damn high heels!" Sarah throws the broken shoe against the ground in anger.

"Are you hurt, Sarah?" Chuck asks as he looks over her body. He notices the fresh gash along her knee that is starting to leak crimson. "Shit, Sarah, your knee!"

"I know, I think I twisted my ankle too," Sarah states agitatedly with a very subtle hint of pain.

"Can you walk?" Chuck asks with concern as he helps her stand up.

"I…" Sarah tests her ankle as she slowly puts more pressure against. She winces as she puts weight on the ankle. "I think I'm okay."

Chuck doesn't take that as a yes so he pulls her arm over his shoulders and secures his right arm around her waist. "Let's get you back into the car."

"I'm okay, Chuck, really," she assures as she winces slightly from putting too much weight on her ankle again.

"No you're not," Chuck states matter-of-factly as he helps her to the car.

Sarah hates the thought of needing someone else's help. She has spent the greater part of her life with no one to help her and she has done just fine. Needing someone's help makes her feel vulnerable and weak.

As Chuck helps her to the car, he opens the door for her and helps her slide her legs in the front passenger seat. He slides the seat as far back as it can go to give her as much leg room as the SUV allows. He opens the glove department and pulls out the first aid kit. He pulls out the small bottle of hydrogen peroxide and opens it. He dabs a cotton ball until it is sufficiently soaked in the disinfectant. "This is going to hurt a little," Chuck says as he gently rubs her scrape on her left knee with the soaked cotton ball.

Sarah sucks in a breath through clenched teeth at the sting, but acts rather stoically to the pain. Chuck makes sure the wound is completely clean before pulling out a large square adhesive bandage. Sarah watches in slight awe at how caring Chuck is of her. No one has ever taken care of her like this. It is actually very sweet and she has never felt like she was being pampered in her life, but she does now. Sure, she could do all of this herself and has done on many occasions, but it is very relaxing to have someone do it for her for once.

Chuck places the bandage over the gash and makes sure it is completely on. He then takes her left ankle into his hands. "Tell me if it hurts," he lightly presses on different parts of her ankle until she sucks in another breath of anguish.

"That hurts," Sarah responds calmly. She watches Chuck carefully as he invests all of his attention into her wellbeing. If she wasn't wincing in pain, she would think he is very sweet and adorable for his chivalry and concern. Chuck takes her words in stride as he slowly rotates her ankle. Sarah winces again from the pain. "Aw," she deadpans.

"I think you only twisted it," Chuck informs her of his diagnosis. "Nothing feels broken and you have full movement in the joint. You should be fine by tomorrow if you ice it."

"How do you know that?" Amusement plays on her grin.

"My sister's a doctor and I was a clumsy kid," Chuck grins brightly at her.

Sarah smiles subtly. "Thank you, Chuck," she says softly. Sarah knew Chuck was a generous person who would do wonders for other people, but didn't know how selfless he really was. Carina and Zondra probably would've said something about rubbing dirt on it and wouldn't even take a second glance.

"You're welcome," he smiles back before realizing Bryce was chasing Andrews. "Let's see if we can find Bryce." Chuck hurries to the driver side of the car.

Three blocks down, Bryce reaches Andrews and tackles him to the ground. As they scuffle, Andrews' gun falls to the ground and out of their grasp. He then throws a left hook into Bryce's ribcage. Bryce winces slightly but throws a right jab into Andrews' face. Andrews retorts with a right hook, but Bryce catches it and parries it with a hard right hook into Andrews' nose. Andrews flinches back and Bryce hits him again in the face with a left jab; knocking him to the ground. Bryce grabs Andrews' gun from the cement and aims it between Andrews' eyes.

"You're too late," Andrews laughs maniacally through the profuse blood pouring out of his nose as he looks up at the young agent. "The Intersect. They already know."

"Who already knows?" Bryce demands as he threatens with the gun aimed at Andrews' face.

Andrews lets out an evil laugh. "Fulcrum," he cackles. "You've already lost," he continues to laugh.

Bryce's blood runs cold as he stares down the man. "Who's Fulcrum?" Bryce interrogates.

"You're too late," Andrews continues to laugh sinisterly.

Bryce makes a split-second decision. This man has given up Chuck's identity as the Intersect. He doesn't know who this Fulcrum is, but this man had put him and his best friend in immediate danger. Bryce aims the gun at the man's face and squeezes the trigger. A single bullet fires from the cannon and tears into the man's forehead. The lifeless body falls to the ground and Bryce puts his watch to his mouth.

"I got Andrews," Bryce informs Chuck and Sarah with a resigned tone. "He didn't make it."

"What do you…? Oh," Chuck nearly whispers as the realization hits him. "Where are you?" Chuck demands as he is driving the SUV.

"A few blocks north," Bryce replies. "I had to kill him. He knew about you, Chuck."

"What?" Chuck asks in utter shock. "How?"

"I don't know," Bryce replies in a slightly sorrowful tone. "I had to do it. I was only protecting you."

"What is he talking about?" Sarah enquires curiously with a furrowed brow. "He knows about you?"

"I'll explain everything later, Sarah," Chuck states truthfully. He doesn't like lying to Sarah. "First, we need to get an icepack on that ankle, inform Graham, and watch the video on Bryce's camera pin."

**Please review.**


	13. Learning the Enemy

**Thanks for all the reviews so far. They are a real inspiration to continue this story.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**August 31, 2004**

Chuck cracks the icepack over his knee before wrapping it in a towel. He gently places it over Sarah's left ankle raised on the edge of the table from her seat in the couch chair. They chose Sarah's hotel room so she won't have to put as much strain on her ankle. Bryce calls Graham up on the laptop on the table and the first thing Graham sees is Chuck gently molding the icepack around her ankle.

"Agent Walker?" He asks in surprise and slight concern. "What happened?"

"My damn heel broke and I twisted my ankle," Sarah explains bitterly before glancing at Chuck. "Thank you," she states genuinely.

"No problem," Chuck releases the icepack as it rests on her ankle and he looks at Graham. "Sir, we…" Chuck pauses as he thinks about Andrews being killed.

"Andrews has been eliminated," Bryce speaks up. "He knew about it," Bryce darts his eyes at Chuck to as a signal to convey he is talking about the Intersect without letting Sarah know about it. "I had to take him out. I couldn't risk it."

"How the hell did he know?" Graham states exasperatedly to himself. Sarah tries to figure out what they could be talking about.

"Andrews met with someone briefly before we took him out," Chuck explains. "We videoed it, but haven't seen it yet."

"Watch the video and see if you can recognize him," Graham orders. "Then call me back." He ends the feed angrily.

"Bryce," Chuck puts his hand out, "camera." Bryce pulls the pin off his lapel and hands it to Chuck. Chuck connects it to the computer and loads the video. "First we'll see who he met with. Then I want to know what happened with Andrews," Chuck demands in a serious tone.

"It wasn't pretty," Bryce states with a reserved tone.

"I don't care," Chuck holds his ground.

"Chuck," Bryce's tone is humble yet strong, "I did what I felt was necessary."

"What did you feel was necessary?" Chuck conjectures bitterly with a furrowed brow. Chuck thought it was strictly self-defense.

"I…" Bryce tries to choose his words carefully, "he put us in danger… all of us. I…"

"You killed him in cold blood?" Chuck hypothesizes in shock, anger, and a tinge of disappointment.

"I know it sounds bad," Bryce drops his head shamefully. "But look what he's done to us. A whole enemy organization knows about you now. He practically signed our death warrants!"

Chuck sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose. "I know," he admits in a soft tone. "But that doesn't mean he deserves to die. You know how much I hate killing and you did it for no reason but vengeance."

"I'm sorry, Chuck," Bryce states remorsefully. "Not for killing the man who gave our names to an entire enemy organization, but for betraying your morals."

"Fine," Chuck huffs as he knows there is nothing they can do about the past. "Let's just watch the video and no more killing unless it is in self-defense, alright?"

"Fine," Bryce mumbles dejectedly, "but I will kill if they threaten me or the people I know."

"I understand," Chuck nods as he would feel the same way if someone threatened Bryce or Sarah, or god forbid Ellie, Devon, or Morgan. Chuck plays the loaded video and it starts out with Bryce's hands fidgeting it while it is viewing the front seat of the SUV where Chuck was sitting. They watch as the video enters the hotel and sits down. The video turns just slightly and halts on a perfect view of Sarah's cleavage. After five seconds of continuous sight of cleavage, Chuck starts fast-forwarding the video. "Sorry," he glances back at Sarah with an apologetic nod.

As Chuck speeds through the video, the view of Sarah's cleavage is still fixated at the center of the video. "Really?" Sarah cannot help but let out a little giggle at the ridiculously inappropriate view the camera picked up.

"That's not my fault," Bryce puts his hands up in surrender.

"I know," Sarah smiles at him before Chuck snorts. Both pairs of eyes fall on Chuck.

"I'm sorry," he says truthfully through his laughter as he looks back at them. "You have to admit that it's kind of funny."

"I guess," Sarah says with a jumbled up grin as she stifles her own laugh and wrinkles her nose in an adorable expression. "The video!" She points hastily and Chuck quickly looks back at the laptop to see it now in the bar. Chuck quickly fumbles over the keys before playing it right when Sarah is ordering her drink.

They watch the video until Bryce stands up and stretches. Chuck gets a clear shot of Andrews and his acquaintance. Chuck's fingers go rigid against the table as he is leaning in. His eyelids flutter after the tingle in the back of his brain and images flash over his eyes.

_A crashed airplane._

_Dead bodies in an alley way._

_The Samoan Man cleaning off a knife._

_Fulcrum Agent Tommy Delgado._

_A crashed airplane._

"Fulcrum?" Chuck mumbles curiously to himself.

"That's what Andrews said too!" Bryce exclaims after overhearing him.

"The guy is Tommy Delgado, a Fulcrum agent," Chuck explains. "He killed a group of CIA agents," he states worriedly.

"How do you know that?" Sarah questions curiously with slight intrigue by Chuck's knowledge. Chuck seems to know everything about everything, and she is starting to question how.

"We need to inform Graham now," Bryce states seriously; ignoring Sarah. Bryce quickly brings Graham back up on the laptop.

"Well?" Graham demands impatiently.

"He's a Fulcrum agent," Chuck explains. "His name is Tommy Delgado and he was responsible for the failure in New York six months ago."

"Damn," Graham sighs in frustration. He knew Fulcrum was a threat but didn't think they were this far along.

"Sir," Sarah speaks up, "what is going on here?" She gives him a bold glance that could cause petrified fear in the strongest of men. "Chuck seems to know everything and who the hell is this Fulcrum?"

"Sir, I think it's time to read her in," Chuck sighs loudly to make sure everyone hears.

"What are you talking about, Chuck?" Sarah looks at him with a furrowed brow. "What are you hiding from me? We're supposed to be partners," Sarah states irately.

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Chuck says slightly dejectedly. "I can't say anymore."

"You really gave me no choice on this one," Graham states matter-of-factly as now Sarah knows something is going on. Chuck gives him a wry smile as that was his intention because he hates not letting Sarah in the loop. "Agent Carmichael, Agent Larkin, do you trust Agent Walker?"

"Yes, sir," Chuck declares adamantly confident. "I trust Sarah."

"I believe we can trust her," Bryce adds in.

Sarah watches her two partners closely as it feels good to be trusted and relief bellows inside her that they aren't going to be keeping anymore secrets from her.

"Very well," Graham sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose. He looks up at Sarah, "Agent Walker, are you aware of Project Omaha?"

"Just rumors, sir," Sarah responds truthfully. "Something about uploading different agencies' secrets into a single computer called the Intersect."

"That's exactly what it is… except for the data isn't in a computer," Graham looks at Chuck to continue the explanation.

"It's in my head," Chuck finishes as he smiles sheepishly at Sarah.

"What?" Sarah nearly bursts out in laughter. "Are you saying you have all the government's secrets inside your head?"

"That's exactly what we're saying," Graham states verily. "Chuck is the only human Intersect. That is why it is imperative that he be protected at all times."

"And that's how you knew all that information about Andrews and this Delgado?" Sarah asks more in wonder than anger as she starts to believe the crazy idea.

"Yep," Chuck nods.

"So… how does it work then?" Sarah asks curiously; her anger now completely replaced by curiosity.

"Seeing or hearing things triggers the 'flashes' that make me recall the information that is already stored in my subconscious," Chuck explains to the best of his abilities. "I flashed on Agent Rizzo and former Agent Barrett when we were on the phone."

"So if you have all these government files then you know everything there is to know…" Sarah trails off as she realizes that Chuck knows all about her horrible past that she has tried so hard to forget and leave in a past life. "About me," Sarah quietly adds in sorrow.

"I did flash on you, Sarah," Chuck states truthfully and her head sinks deeper in shame. "But I was able to stop it before seeing anything about your file. I don't know any of your past missions or your history." Sarah's head jerks up in shock.

"I was there, Sarah," Graham states soothingly. He knows that Sarah has always been haunted by her past and that is the one thing that worries her the most. "Your past is safe with you."

"I won't flash on you, unless you want me to," Chuck adds in seriously. "It's not my place to know your history without your permission."

"Thank you, Chuck," Sarah smiles at him. He somehow keeps surprising her with his selflessness and kindness.

"Agent Walker," Graham addresses her with utter seriousness, "your primary mission is to protect Agent Carmichael. We cannot allow the Intersect to get into enemy hands."

"Yes, sir," Sarah nods vehemently. "But what is Fulcrum exactly?"

"Originally, they are a rogue CIA splinter organization within the U.S. intelligence community," Graham explains gravely. "We believe they have numerous moles in the CIA and possibly the FBI too. They are made up of rogue agents from other departments."

"Is the CIA compromised?" Chuck asks shockingly.

"I'm not certain how deep Fulcrum's corruption is, but we cannot be certain," Graham dons a serious expression. "That is why no one can know about the Intersect except for the four of us. It is too important to risk."

"We understand," Bryce nods.

"I want you guys back in Washington tomorrow," Graham states before ending the feed.

"And goodnight to you, too," Chuck quips to the blank screen; eliciting a small giggle from Sarah. "Well, you heard the chief. We take flight tomorrow."

"I'm gonna get some sleep," Bryce states with an accompanied yawn. "You guys good here?"

"Yep," Sarah responds as Chuck nods.

Bryce holds a studying gaze over his two partners before leaving the apartment.

"Do you need any help with getting in your bed, Sarah?" Chuck asks with concern.

"I think I'll be fine," she smiles one of those dazzling smiles at Chuck.

_Wow,_ Chuck's mouth forms the word but no sound comes out as he is in complete awe at her beauty. "I think I'm going to get some sleep too. It's been a long night," Chuck casually informs Sarah as he heads for the front door.

"Chuck?" Sarah asks softly.

"Yea?" He turns around and glances at her.

"What does it feel like?" She queries shyly. "When you flash?"

"I… I don't know," Chuck answers truthfully. He never thought about it and the feelings that the Intersect causes escape him at the moment; which probably has to do with the brilliant beauty staring at him. "It's weird," he tries his best to explain. "It is almost like an odd itch at the back of my head and then the images take over and all I see is what the Intersect wants me to see."

"Does it hurt?" She asks sincerely in a gentle tone.

"When I flash? No, not really," Chuck replies with a nonchalant shrug. "I get a headache every once in a while after a lot of flashes or a very large one, but that's about it."

"Do you like having it?" Her tone is soft and curious.

"I don't know," Chuck sighs deeply. "It's a bit encumbering at times, but I'm the only one who can successfully use it. I'm doing my part to help the world," Chuck tries to convince himself more than her.

"Would you remove it if you can?" Sarah asks before realizing how personal she is getting. "I'm sorry," she sheepishly bows her head. "I'm asking too much."

"No, it's okay," Chuck assures with a small welcoming smile. "It's just… no one has ever asked my opinion. It was kind of forced on me, but I wouldn't want this burden on anyone else. I'm just glad to be able to help the world," Chuck states again, but is greatly hollow compared to the first time saying it.

"Okay," Sarah responds after a long look at Chuck. "Thank you for helping me tonight…" She dips her head before looking back at him with a soft, raw expression that Chuck finds extremely heartwarming. "And taking care of me."

"It was my pleasure," Chuck smiles charmingly. "Goodnight, Sarah. Make sure you get some sleep and don't forget to keep that ankle iced."

"But your shoulder is *so* comfortable," Sarah pouts in an exaggerated whine.

Chuck smiles mirthfully, "my shoulder will always be your pillow." He turns serious and looks deep into her sapphire eyes. "Please make sure you ice your ankle so you can walk tomorrow."

"I will," Sarah smiles reassuringly at her friend and partner. "Goodnight, Chuck."

**September 14, 2004**

Bryce is sitting on the couch checking his emails while mindlessly letting the television play in the background. Bryce looks over his personal email and after organizing through the usual junk, he decides to check his secure CIA email. It is rare to get an email as Graham only ever calls or initiates video conferences. He sees the single unread message and a furrow breaks over his brow. He looks at the subject and sender, but both are completely blank. His brow furrows deeper as he clicks on the email in curiosity.

The email opens and displays all Bryce's specific access codes and previous missions prior to Sarah joining. "Chuck?" Bryce drawls in slight trepidation as he reads further down the message body to find out someone is contacting him and wants to meet with him.

"Yea, buddy?" Chuck pops his head out from his room.

"You might want to see this," Bryce states without looking back towards Chuck.

Chuck reluctantly steps through the hallway and hovers over Bryce on the couch. "What is it?" Chuck asks indignantly. He wouldn't be surprised if it was some kind of fetish Austrian porn.

"Someone is enlisting me as an agent," Bryce explains.

"What do you mean?" Chuck asks as he takes a closer look at the email on Bryce's laptop.

"They have all my access codes and my record," Bryce states in slight surprise.

"We need to speak with Graham then," Chuck states seriously as he hurries into his room to grab his laptop.

Chuck reboots the hibernating machine and quickly opens up a secure channel to Graham. The floating CIA logo on the screen replaces with Graham's scowling face. "What is it Carmichael?" He asks impatiently.

"Sir," Chuck explains fretfully, "Bryce was just emailed by an unknown party."

"They have all my access codes and they know my entire record," Bryce continues to explain.

"I didn't authorize anything," Graham muses thoughtfully before looking at the two young agents. "Agent Larkin, I want you to reply to the email. Say you will meet with them. Carmichael, I want you and Agent Walker to shadow Larkin. Make sure we find out who this is."

"Yes, sir," both agents nod.

"I'll inform Agent Walker," Graham ends the video conference.

"You heard the boss," Chuck states as he closes the program and closes his laptop.

"What should I say?" Bryce asks unsurely.

"Just ask when they want to meet," Chuck replies calmly.

"Good idea, Chuck," Bryce smiles thinly as he clicks the 'reply' button. He types in his question for when to meet and sends it. "Now we wait," Bryce states as he puts the laptop down on the coffee table.

Less than five minutes later, Bryce's email has a new unread message. He checks it and it is a reply to his original reply. The message is barren with only the words:

_September 17. 1pm at 256 Brown Street. We'll find you._

"That's not ominous at all," Chuck sarcastically states.

"Really," Bryce voices his similar opinion.

"Well, let's see where this meeting is supposed to take place," Chuck reopens his laptop and searches the address. After pinpointing the location, he raises an incredulous eyebrow. "A coffee shop, really?"

**September 16, 2004**

Chuck lets Sarah into his apartment. She smiles as she surveys the area. "Wow, this is a beautiful place, guys," she compliments the spacious apartment.

"Thanks," Chuck smiles as he closes the door behind her. "And thanks for coming. It'll help us plan out this mission."

"No problem, Chuck," Sarah smiles one of her brilliant smiles at him. "So, Bryce," she looks at him sitting by the kitchen bar, "you were contacted by an unknown person?"

"Yea," Bryce nods. "They knew all my access codes and everything. I think they might be someone either in or close to the CIA."

"You think it could be Fulcrum?" Sarah inquires.

"Possibly," Chuck responds casually as he leads Sarah to join them at the kitchen bar. "I tried to find the IP address that sent the email, but it was bounced off multiple servers."

"Okay," Sarah nods. "You're going to meet this mystery person while we provide backup?"

"That's the gist of it," Bryce smiles at her.

The doorbell ringing breaks them from their conversation. "Oh, that must be the pizza," Chuck states as he heads for the door. "I hope you like vegetarian pizza," Chuck grins at Sarah who smiles brightly back at him before he opens the door to pay in exchange of the pizza.

"So thesubject was completely blank?" Sarah queries as she wants to grasp the full gravity of the situation. "Even the sender column?"

"Yea," Bryce shakes his head as he doesn't even know how that is possible. "It was completely blank."

Chuck plops the two pizza boxes on the end of the kitchen counter and opens up the top box. He smiles at his two partners, "Food has been served." He hands both of them a paper plate and lets them help themselves.

Chuck stands across from Bryce and Sarah as they go over the mission details while eating their pizza. "So, you guys are going to be waiting here and here?" Bryce asks as he points at the bird's eye snapshot they took using GPS satellites.

"Yep," Sarah states as she picks an olive off her pizza. "We won't let you out of our sight," she picks off the remaining olives and disposes them on her plate before taking a bite. Chuck furtively watches as she removes the small black rings from her pizza and stores the trait in his mind, _Sarah doesn't like olives._

"That's good to know," Bryce muses. "I'll see what information I can get out of my secret admirer."

"Really?" Chuck raises an incredulous eyebrow. "You're going to call it that?"

"Why not?" Bryce shrugs with a smirk.

"And he's supposed to be protecting me," Chuck states sarcastically to Sarah, which elicits a tiny giggle from the gorgeous blonde.

**September 17, 2004**

Chuck watches through a pair of binoculars from his position perched on the roof of the building across from the coffee shop. Sarah is sitting inside the coffee shop in her business casual outfit of a black pinstriped jacket and a knee-high skirt. She has glasses on that make her look like only the sexiest librarian ever, if the librarian was also a ninja. It still escapes Chuck how Sarah could make any outfit look so damn attractive and eye-catching. She has her laptop open to make it look like she is doing some business work while slowly sipping on her coffee.

The flow of people in the coffee shop is fairly normal as there are a few people in line while a few are on their phones and sipping their coffee at the same time. Bryce walks into the coffee shop ten minutes before 1pm and orders a hot coffee. A few minutes later, he finds a seat at an empty table with an extra chair and tentatively sips on his coffee as he uneasily lets the time pass by until he gets to meet his 'secret admirer.'

Two minutes after 2pm, Chuck sees a familiar face walk into the coffee shop. "Bryce, it's Delgado," he informs Bryce fretfully. "Fulcrum is recruiting you!"

"Roget that," Sarah whispers. "I see him. He's at your seven, Bryce."

Bryce calmly sits there as he takes a sip of his coffee. As he lowers his cup from his mouth, he sees his Samoan guest sitting down across from him. "To say I was surprised by you contacting me would be an understatement," Bryce states completely calm.

"Do you know who I am?" Tommy asks.

"Not the slightest."

"The CIA needs your help," Tommy states as he feels he has an opening with Bryce. Bryce has to stifle a scoff at the treacherous words.

"How can I help them?" Bryce asks as he takes another sip.

"We know you're the Intersect," Tommy whispers calmly as he leans a little closer.

Bryce nearly spits his coffee out, which would be bad because Tommy's face would be burned by the hot liquid. "Excuse me?" Bryce sputters with heightened eyebrows. _He thinks I'm the Intersect?_ Bryce questions in his own mind. _Maybe I can use this against them._

"We need the Intersect to help preserve this nation," Tommy explains with a smirk at Bryce's initial reaction to hearing about the Intersect.

_Another lie,_ Bryce counts in his head. "What would you have me do?" Bryce asks as if he is openly intrigued by the offer.

"I work for a clandestine organization called Fulcrum," Tommy explains. "You've probably never heard of it."

"I can't say that I have," Bryce responds casually.

"That's because we don't want anyone to know about us," Tommy grins evilly. "We're a splinter group in the CIA. You'd be helping preserve this great nation."

_Patriotism,_ Bryce questions skeptically in surprise. _They think they're the good guys._ "How can I help this nation?" Bryce asks confidently as if he has been turned.

Tommy smiles smugly as he believes he turned the human Intersect to Fulcrum's cause. "I'll keep in contact." Tommy stands up to leave.

"Should we take him into custody?" Chuck asks through the earpieces.

"No, I have an opening into Fulcrum," Bryce replies. "We can destroy them from the inside."

"But they think you're the Intersect," Sarah explains matter-of-factly.

"Sarah's right," Chuck voices his opinion. "They'll expect you to flash, which you can't do… because you're not the Intersect. We need to capture him and see if we can learn anymore about Fulcrum."

"I'm with Chuck on this one," Sarah states seriously after weighing the options. "It's too dangerous for you to go undercover under those pretenses."

"Fine," Bryce grumbles as his plans to gloriously destroy Fulcrum from the inside out are pulverized. "Let's get this over with." He stands up from his seat and follows Sarah out the door.

"He's heading north from the coffee shop," Chuck informs them from his heightened position. "We can't cause a scene either."

"Don't worry," Bryce replies smugly. "I got this."

"Bryce, don't blow it," Chuck warns as he knows Bryce's tendencies to act impulsively.

"No faith in me?" Bryce quips with mock sadness.

"No, I trust you… but I also know you," Chuck replies boldly as he continues to watch Tommy while Bryce and Sarah close the gap between them. "He's crossing the street west."

"I'll cut him off a block ahead," Sarah states as she sprints west one street south of the street Tommy is leisurely walking along.

"Roger that," Chuck responds as he sees Sarah break away from Bryce. "I'm going to pack up and move out." Chuck quickly throws his binoculars into the small backpack and runs down the stairs of the building he is in.

Bryce hurries to the corner of the street and presses his back to the wall. He peeks around the wall to see Tommy still walking. He quickly and quietly skips his way behind Tommy when Tommy turns around with a gun in his hand. Bryce immediately dives behind a car as Tommy aims at Bryce. He holds his gun steady as he smugly states, "You're making a mistake. They already know you're the Intersect." Tommy projects his voice to insure Bryce hears him from behind the car. "They will hunt you down and kill you and your friends."

Bryce grips his gun tightly as he ponders the enemy's words. "Give up," Bryce shouts loudly. "Fulcrum is going to lose!"

"What's going on?" Chuck demands worriedly as he hurries down the street. He turns the corner to see Tommy slowly walking around a dark blue sedan with his pistol aimed in front of him. Chuck jumps back behind the wall so he isn't seen. "Sarah, Bryce is pinned down!"

"I'm almost at the corner," Sarah states slightly out of breath.

As Tommy turns his back to Chuck while slowly circling the car, Chuck sprints forward as he takes advantage of Tommy not being able to see him. Chuck skids to a halt when Tommy suddenly turns and aims his gun at Chuck from hearing the pattering footsteps. In a moment of fight or flight, Chuck freezes completely.

"Backup?" Tommy guffaws. "Looks like you're going to be without a partner, Larkin."

"Not quite," Bryce stands up and presses the gun to the back of Tommy's neck. "Now drop the gun slowly."

"Using your team as bait, huh?" Tommy muses proudly as he raises his hands. "What if I had shot him before you were able to aim on me?"

"Then we'd still be in the same position," Bryce replies bitterly. "Now drop the gun… slowly."

Tommy slowly kneels forward as he drops the gun while Bryce's gun follows his head. Tommy suddenly lurches his head back, causing Bryce's wrist to turn and the gun to point to the side. Tommy takes advantage and elbows backwards into Bryce's thigh. Bryce winces and tries to recalibrate his aiming, but Tommy grabs Bryce's wrist and pushes it so Bryce cannot get a clean shot. Tommy punches Bryce in the face twice with his free right hand. Tommy grabs Bryce's arm still grasping the gun and rotates his back against Bryce's chest as he pulls Bryce's arm over his shoulder. Bryce takes advantage of Tommy's eyes not being able to see him so he wraps his left arm around Tommy's neck and wrenches backwards.

Tommy lets out a strangled gag as he released Bryce's right arm and Bryce slides it under Tommy's right arm and wraps his hand around Tommy's neck to create more torque on Tommy's neck. Tommy elbows backwards into Bryce's ribcage, but Bryce holds strong. In a fleeting moment of strength, Tommy chokes out in an evil laugh, "They're going to kill you and everyone you know!"

Tommy slumps into Bryce's arms as he is knocked unconscious by the chokehold. Bryce releases the chokehold and Tommy's body plummets to the unforgiving ground. "And that's why you don't turn your back to your enemy," Sarah smiles boastfully at the man on the ground and then to Bryce. "Great job."

"Thanks," Bryce smiles charmingly before Sarah's grin falters.

"You're bleeding," she deadpans with a frown. Bryce's lip is cut with a trickle of blood and his left cheek is bright red.

"It's nothing," Bryce assures her with just as charming a smile as he licks the blood off his lips.

Chuck makes his entrance with a tranquilizer dart shot into Tommy's neck. "And he's officially subdued," Chuck quips with a grin. "Thanks for the save back there."

"No problem," Bryce claps Chuck's shoulder. "You would've done the same for me."

"Well, time to learn more about Fulcrum," Chuck states comically as he smiles brightly at his two partners.

**Please review.**


	14. It's Only a Cover

**Thanks for all the reviews so far. I hope you're all enjoying this story and will continue to enjoy it. I will do my best not to steer you wrong.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**September 18, 2004**

Sarah, Chuck, and Bryce are convening in Graham's office. Graham watches his Intersect team with a careful eye. He doesn't like the information they've been learning on their most recent missions. "Let me get this straight," Graham projects with a sigh. "Fulcrum thinks that you, Agent Larkin, have the Intersect?"

"Yes, sir," Bryce nods affirmatively. "This isn't exactly a bad thing," Bryce adds optimistically.

"Explain," Graham states with a raised eyebrow.

"They think I'm the Intersect, so that means they'll be looking for me and not Chuck," Bryce explains with the remnants of a mischievous smirk. "This is better than we originally thought."

"Are you electing yourself to be used as bait?" Graham furrows his brow as he has never seen someone so dedicated to their job.

"Not in such literal terms," Bryce smiles wryly. "But, yea."

"I do see your reasoning," Graham muses thoughtfully. "For now, you guys can rest up. Maybe we can use this to our advantage," he states with encouragement.

"Sir?" Chuck speaks up weakly.

"Yes?" Graham looks over at Chuck.

"Is there any possible way for me to get next week off?" Chuck asks sheepishly. "My sister kind of coerced me into saying I'd be in L.A."

Graham sits there in a moment of silent thinking before stating, "I don't see any problems with that, but Agent Walker and Larkin will have to accompany you."

"Oh," Chuck glances at his partners for a brief second before shrugging nonchalantly, "then I won't go. I'll just let her know."

"It's fine, Chuck," Sarah speaks up. "I don't mind."

"I'm always up for Ellie's cooking," Bryce smiles at Chuck.

"Are you sure?" Chuck asks with slight surprise. "I don't want to force you—"

"I'm sure," Bryce nods. "It's not like I haven't met them before."

"I have nothing better to do," Sarah shrugs as she wonders what Chuck's family is like.

"So it's settled," Graham states as he doesn't feel like this conversation should be held in his office. "I'll have tickets for the three of you in a few days," Graham states as he virtually shoos them away with his voice. He knows it's Chuck's birthday and that he has a deep connection with his sister. "Just make sure you come up with a convincing cover story."

"Yes, sir," they all nod as they leave his office.

**September 22, 2004**

Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce are sitting on the couch in the guys' apartment. Sarah has rather enjoyed having people to spend her time with. Throughout her life she never had friends as she moved around too often to plant roots. Then being a spy makes you a little more paranoid and cautious of the people around you, which isn't a personality trait people can become comfortable with. But with Chuck and Bryce, they are sweet and have allowed her into their lives with open arms. The doorbell rings and all their heads cock towards the door from the television.

"Nice," Chuck cheers as he stands up. "Pizza." Sarah has quickly noticed pizza is something Chuck and Bryce enjoy often. She concludes it must be a combination of their lack of cooking skills and laziness. Chuck happily pays and places the two boxes on the coffee table in front of them. He runs into the kitchen with some plates and napkins and hands them out. "We got vegetarian…" Chuck opens the box in a slow anticipating fashion. "With no olives."

Sarah's eyebrows jump up at the revelation and she looks at Chuck with a surprised expression.

"I noticed you picking off the olives last time we got pizza," Chuck smiles sheepishly.

"That was sweet," Sarah smiles softly. "Thank you."

"No problem," Chuck happily sits back down next to her and lets her choose the first slice. Bryce again watches the interaction between his two partners. They are becoming increasingly comfortable with each other, which has its advantages… and disadvantages.

"So," Chuck swallows the bite of pizza in his mouth, "for our cover when we go to L.A…"

Sarah looks at him with curiosity.

"Well, our original covers were accountants which my sister still believes, so we kind of have to go with that," Chuck explains.

"So, I could be a co-worker and friend," Sarah suggests with an unsure shrug.

"Yea, but my sister is like a hawk," Chuck explains. "She's going to ask for every detail."

"She's not going to throw you some ridiculous party, is she?" Bryce speaks up with a mock dreadful tone.

"Oh god," Chuck states with pure dread as he realizes the revelation. "She better not."

"Does she know you're single?" Bryce asks nonchalantly.

"Yea…" Chuck responds cautiously.

"Then she's going to throw you a party," Bryce deadpans as he slides the pizza into his mouth to take another bite.

"Oh great," Chuck rolls his eyes as he retreats into the back of the couch. Ellie has made it her personal mission to find Chuck a girlfriend and has thrown him a party almost every year since starting college, no matter how far from Burbank he has been in the last five years.

Sarah sees the agitation in Chuck's body language and expression and decides he deserves a favor after everything he's done from helping her catch Amy and Gaez to icing her ankle after she hurt herself. "I can be your girlfriend," Sarah suggests innocuously. "For cover obviously," she quickly adds sheepishly.

Chuck's ears perk up and he looks at her in utter shock. He tries to say something but his vocal cords don't make any noise and he looks like a malfunctioning toy with his mouth moving and no sound coming out.

Sarah sees the shocked expression on his face and smiles subtly at his comical antics. "It's not a problem, Chuck," she replies just as innocently.

"You'd do that for me?" Chuck finally gets his vocal cords to vibrate with sound.

"Yea," Sarah shrugs casually as she adorably slides the pizza into her mouth to take a bite while not breaking her gaze with him.

"Um…" Chuck starts turning red in embarrassment. "How would…"

Sarah grins brightly at Chuck, "Just a couple cover kisses and some affectionate hugging can fool even the keenest of eyes."

"Um… right…" Chuck imagines holding Sarah in his arms and giving her a kiss on the lips; which only works to further his blush. "Okay," he finally agrees. "I should probably let her know there is no need for a party then."

"Oh come on," Bryce jokingly whines. "I was looking forward to it."

"I'm sure you were," Chuck smirks at his friend, knowing exactly the train of thought Bryce had: a one night stand with one of Ellie's doctor friends by using his acquired seduction skills.

"Okay, so if we're…" Chuck pauses for the ever slightest second as he realizes how it sounds, "Dating, then we need a cover story for how we met." Chuck reads the incredulous look on Sarah's face. "Ellie is like the internet. She feeds on information and my personal life is like the first bookmarked website on her computer."

Sarah scoffs at his analogy. "Nerd," she chides playfully. "How 'bout you looked lonely and I took a chance on those big brown doe eyes?" Sarah has to use all her focus not to reveal the fact that she is only teasing.

"And make me look like a wimp?" Chuck looks at Sarah incredulously with a raised eyebrow. "No thank you," he deadpans.

"I like it," Bryce supplies casually, knowing it will only annoy Chuck further.

"Thank you," Sarah lets out a guffaw.

"Here, how 'bout you were having some trouble with your phone and I fixed it and you offered me coffee in exchange for the help?" Chuck suggests seriously as he gages the expression growing on Sarah's face.

"The classic geek—"

"Nerd," Chuck corrects.

"Nerd helping the damsel in distress," Sarah muses with a playful smile. "I guess that works. It's simple yet feasible."

"Okay, so then we had coffee and… hit it off from there," Chuck supplies sheepishly. Just the mere thought of being with Sarah causes his heart to beat quickly and his skin to tingle.

"Yep," Sarah hugs onto Chuck's arm teasingly, "and I couldn't get enough of his pillowy shoulder." She rests her head on his shoulder to empower her words.

Chuck smiles brightly at her lighthearted antics. An ecstatic humorous Sarah Walker is definitely an enjoyable site for anyone.

Sarah doesn't even realize the fun she is having with Chuck and Bryce. She has definitely noticed his embarrassment, which gives him a cute flustered look; she's a spy after all so it is only expected to notice these things. But she has never just got to be her carefree fun self. She has always had to be the Girl Scout, Katie Franco, the high school student, Jenny Burton, or the spy, Sarah Walker. She is finally herself and can just be the sweet, humorous, Samantha Lisa…

"Sarah," Chuck looks at her with a grave look and she falls back into her spy persona, Sarah Walker, as her thoughts are broken up. "My name isn't Carmichael."

"Well, I know that," Sarah playfully hits his shoulder. "You told me it was a cover a long time ago. Remember? You wanted to race your yacht for America's Cup." Bryce lets out a snort at the ridiculous accusation.

"You remember that?" Chuck asks with slight surprise as that was over a year ago, so he wouldn't expect her to remember something so measly.

"I'm a spy," Sarah deadpans, feeding Chuck's grin to become a toothy smile. "I may not have a database of information in my head, but I can remember things."

Chuck scoffs at her snarky comment. "Touché," he drawls admiringly. "But you can't be thinking my name is Carmichael in front of my family…" Chuck pauses for dramatic effect and Sarah puts a comforting hand on his forearm to urge him to continue. Chuck looks down at her hand and feels a wave of courage build inside him. "It's Bartowski," he states seriously as he reveals a deep secret that no one in the spy world should know about, but he trusts Sarah with the information. "Charles Irving Bartowski."

"Thank you, Chuck," Sarah states softly. "I know it's hard." She hasn't used her real name since six years old. At first, it was hard to get accustomed to a new name, but after years of numerous aliases, it is as easy as breathing. They both gaze into each other's eyes as they connect on a deep level.

"Anyone want the last slice of pizza?" Bryce asks; interrupting the intimate moment.

Chuck and Sarah both break from their reverent gazes and both mumble, "Huh?" before Chuck states, "Go ahead, buddy."

"It's all yours, Bryce, "Sarah assures as she sits back normal with her head directed to the television.

Bryce takes a tentative bite of the slice of pizza as he furtively watches Sarah and Chuck look forward stiffly as they avoid each other's gaze.

**September 24, 2004**

Chuck is carrying a small bag around his shoulder as he walks into the Echo Park apartment complex. Sarah and Bryce are directly behind him. "For out next stop on the Bartowski home tour," Chuck grins brightly at Sarah as he points at the fountain in the center, "this is the fountain that all of Ellie's parties revolve around."

"This is nice," Sarah muses with a small smile as she places her hand comfortingly on Chuck's shoulder. She swivels her head around as she admires the homey atmosphere.

"Oh! One thing you should know, my sister gives monster bear hugs," Chuck states with utter seriousness.

"Okay," Sarah smiles amusedly as she thinks he is joking.

"He's serious," Bryce backs Chuck up with no humor in his tone. "Her hugs are like the Hulk trying to pet a bunny."

"I think I'll be fine," Sarah assures cockily. She may not know what the Hulk is but she knows the general meaning of the word so she gets the gist of his analogy.

"It's your funeral," Bryce shrugs indifferently. Sarah scoffs as Bryce's comment.

Chuck continues his tour as he steps up to his sister and her boyfriend's apartment and knocks on the door. "Sarah, welcome to Casa Bartowski," Chuck quips cheerily as the door opens and Chuck is pulled into a lung-crushing hug.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Ellie squeals in utter bliss as she lets go of Chuck and sees Sarah smiling pleasantly at the sibling exchange with very slight envy as she is an only child and never got to experience having a sibling.

"Jeez," Chuck chokes out dramatically. "How did I not see that coming?"

Chuck quickly realizes he is speaking to nobody because Ellie is enthralled by the blonde beauty standing behind Chuck. Ellie approaches Sarah like she is an exotic creature who will flee if Ellie makes any sudden movements. "Oh my god," she whispers in awe.

"Ellie," Chuck recovers and smiles at his sister, "this is Sarah, my…"

"Girlfriend," Sarah smiles pleasantly as she sincerely holds out a hand only to be crushed in a tight hug. Sarah's eyes nearly pop out of her skull from the crushing bear hug.

"Oh my god, Chuck," Ellie squeals with more joy. Where it comes from, no one will ever know. Ellie finally releases the blonde so she can regain her bearings and breathe again. "She's beautiful," Ellie states in awe and then turns to Sarah. "You're beautiful. Chuck, you never told me how beautiful she is."

Sarah unexpectedly finds herself blushing slightly at the multitude of compliments. Ellie is a very attractive brunette with similar warm chocolate eyes as Chuck. "Thank you," Sarah states shyly.

"You're welcome," Ellie flashes a dazzling smile as she lets Chuck and Sarah into her apartment. "Hi, Bryce," Ellie opens her arms for a hug, but Bryce puts a hand up to halt her advances.

"I think I'm good," he states mirthfully.

"You big baby," Ellie jokingly chides as she lets him into the apartment.

"Chuckster!" Devon holds out a hand just above his head and when Chuck takes it, Devon pulls Chuck into a one-armed hug.

Sarah watches the display of friendship with amusement.

"Captain…" Chuck realizes he is now talking to no one.

"Wow," Devon exclaims as he steps up to the beautiful blonde. "And you must be Sarah, Chuck's main squeeze." He pulls her into a bear hug as he lifts her off her feet.

"That would be me," Sarah chokes out as she is lifted in Devon's arms.

Chuck smiles ruefully at Sarah and mouths, "I'm sorry."

"Damn, bro," Devon drawls with excitement at how gorgeous Sarah is. "One word…" Devon raises both his hands in anticipation for a thunderous double high five.

_Here comes his signature word, 'awesome',_ Chuck just barely stops himself from rolling his eyes as he reluctantly raises his hands to high five Devon back.

"Outstanding!" Devon slams his hands against Chuck's making a thunderous clap. "I knew you had it in you!" He pulls Chuck into another hug as he lifts Chuck off his feet.

"Make it stop, make it stop," Chuck whines as Devon holds Chuck in his arms.

"Lighten up, bro," Devon releases Chuck with a chuckle and pats him on the shoulder. "You have a smoking hot girlfriend."

Sarah cannot help but giggle at Chuck's reaction to meeting everyone again. Chuck smiles back at Sarah, "this is Ellie's boyfriend, Devon."

"It's nice to meet you," Sarah extends her hand in a pleasant manner.

"It's my pleasure," Devon happily shakes her hand.

"Morgan!" Chuck nearly shouts at seeing his childhood friend behind Devon's muscular frame. "How's life…" Chuck trails off when he realizes he is talking to nobody.

"Well, hello there, my lady," Morgan greets in a suave renaissance style tone as he takes Sarah's hand and plants a gentle kiss on the back of it.

"Really?" Chuck rolls his eyes before walking over to Sarah and Morgan. "Down boy!" Chuck demands in a playful manner. Morgan releases Sarah's hand but the awed smile on his face hasn't faded. "Good doggy," Chuck pats Morgan on the head. "Morgan, this is my girlfriend, Sarah. Sarah, this is my best friend since kindergarten, Morgan Grimes."

"It's nice to meet you," Sarah smiles sincerely as she extends her hand out.

Morgan shakes it with exhilaration. "It's nice to meet you!" Morgan turns to Chuck, "you didn't tell me she was such a hottie! Like Vicky Vale!"

"Who?" Sarah furrows her brow.

"Don't start," Chuck demands with slight dread. He looks over at Sarah with an apologetic smile, "it's from Batman."

"Because that makes it better?" Sarah smiles subtly at Chuck.

"This girl is amazing," Morgan exclaims with pure joy. "Sarah, you have my blessing to mar—mphff…" Chuck clasps his hand over Morgan's mouth to stop his speech.

"And you're going to act like a normal human being now," Chuck states civilly, but in a demanding tone. He releases Morgan's mouth and Morgan keeps quiet. "Good," Chuck then turns to Sarah with a goofy smile, "well, this is my dysfunctional family. I hope they haven't scared you off yet."

"Not yet," Sarah playfully grins at Chuck's humorous attitude. She was a little apprehensive, but these people seem to be very sincere and quite fond of Chuck and anyone he takes a liking to.

"Bryce," Morgan nods to the taller man with slight reserve.

"Morgan," Bryce nods back as they stare at each other as if whoever breaks the stare first is no longer Chuck's best friend. They've always had a bit of a feud for Chuck's friendship and the feuds never end up more harmful than dried eyes.

"It's good to see you again," Morgan continues to stare.

"You too," Bryce replies without averting his gaze. "How's the BuyMore?"

"Good. How's being an accountant?"

"Boring."

"Alright," Chuck steps in with an airy tone as he puts an arm on each of their shoulders. "I haven't eaten Ellie's cooking in ages and I'm starving." He leads them to the table and then smiles at Sarah, "my sister makes the most delicious food."

Sarah nods as she takes a seat next to Chuck to cement the cover. Morgan quickly snatches up the seat on Chuck's left side and he sticks his tongue out at Bryce, who carelessly walks around the table for the seat across from Chuck and Sarah. Devon pours a glass of red wine for everyone and then raises his glass for a toast.

"I'd just like to say it is good to see you again, Chuck," Devon states with sincerity and truth. "And happy birthday bro," Devon winks at Chuck who nods graciously. "It is always nice to see new faces and add new friends to our family," Devon nods to Sarah with a welcoming smile.

Sarah subtly smiles back. These people barely know her yet they're already accepting her into their family. She has never really been part of a family and her heart jumps with euphoria knowing she has a place here. She glances at Chuck to see him smiling at her with the same welcome smile Devon is wearing. She gives him a chaste kiss on the lips to reinforce the cover. _Mmm…_ Sarah muses delectably as she feels his soft lips. As she leans back after the kiss, Chuck's expression becomes completely dumbfounded and a pink blush forms on his cheeks.

"Awesome…" Devon muses at the display of affection. "Is there anything you'd like to add, babe?" Devon looks across the table to his lovely girlfriend, Ellie.

"I couldn't of said it more perfect," Ellie smiles at her boyfriend. He really is a special kind of guy that she loves so much. "Welcome to the family," Ellie smiles at Sarah with another welcoming smile that seems to be a look they use very often.

"Then here's to having a great night and happy birthday, Chuck," Devon booms merrily.

"Happy birthday, Chuck," everyone cheers as they clink their glasses together before taking a sip of their wine.

"Thanks, guys," Chuck smiles at his family.

"Let's eat!" Morgan exclaims as he has been visibly salivating with just the mere thought of Ellie's cooking.

The dinner goes by easily with easygoing banter between everyone. "No," Sarah guffaws in disbelief as she looks at Devon. "Do they really call you Captain Awesome?"

"It's just something that stuck," Devon shrugs nonchalantly.

"Ugh," Ellie rolls her eyes at hearing the ridiculous nickname.

"It's fitting though," Chuck explains happily. "Everything he does is awesome; climbing mountains, jumping out of planes, flossing." A round of laughter spreads across the table at his last example.

Sarah smiles and gives him a peck on the cheek. She notices again that Chuck looks slightly shocked and flustered after she kissed him. He looks absolutely adorable with how he has no idea how to react to Sarah's kisses.

"So, Sarah," Ellie smiles brightly at the exchange between Chuck and Sarah, "how'd you guys meet?"

Chuck winks at Sarah in a boastful style as he knew the question was coming.

Sarah stifles a grin at Chuck before smiling pleasantly at Ellie. "Well, I'm dreadful with computers and electronics in general and your brother was just so sweet and helped me out," Ellie hugs onto Chuck's arm to emphasize her care for him. "He was such a great guy that I begged him to let me take him out for coffee and he said yes." Sarah smiles mirthfully at Chuck. "And as they say: the rest is history."

_Like you would've had to beg at all,_ Chuck nearly scoffs at her explanation.

"I'm so happy for you guys," Ellie nearly squeals with joy. "You finally took my advice, Chuck."

"What advice?" Sarah inquires curiously.

Chuck immediately turns a crimson red as he remembers the conversation he had with his sister on the phone a while back. "I told him to ask you out," Ellie smiles victoriously.

Sarah looks at Chuck with a studying expression that Chuck cannot place as positive or negative. _Chuck talked about me with Ellie before we decided to cover date?_ Sarah wonders in curiosity. _Why?_

"You guys look so great together," Ellie smiles at the couple with utter joy. "And I haven't seen Chuck this happy in a long time."

"Well, he's a great guy," Sarah replies admiringly as she rests her head on Chuck's shoulder; pocketing her questions for another time.

Ellie just watches the interaction between them with an appreciative grin.

The rest of dinner goes by quickly and Devon is already clearing the plates. Sarah is leaning against Chuck with a satisfied smile because the food was so delicious and the warmth Chuck gives her is so enjoyable. Chuck's arm is around her shoulders and he is using all his focus not to do anything that would break the boundary of the cover, such as soothingly rubbing her upper arm and giving her a peck on the cheek no matter how badly he would like to. Sarah never realized how warm and comforting it is in Chuck's arms. Before she knows it, she is yawning and her body just wants to shut down in the warmth surrounding it.

Chuck notices Sarah yawning and comes to her aid. "It's starting to get late," Chuck informs everyone and Sarah climbs off of him and feels a slight shiver of coldness. "You're going to be fine at the hotel room?" Chuck asks Sarah with honest concern.

"Hotel room?" Ellie furrows her brow with an amused grin. "Nonsense," she waives like it is no big deal. "Chuck, your room is still open. You guys can just sleep here. Then maybe you can get Chuck to remodel his room… starting with the Tron poster."

"Dad gave me that," Chuck states with slight reserve. Sarah looks at Chuck to see how protective of the poster he is for sentimental reasons. And it is the first time he's mentioned his father.

"I know," Ellie says sweetly in resignation. "It was his favorite movie."

"And I'm taking that back to D.C. anyways," Chuck supplies with a teasing grin. "It really ties the room together."

Ellie scoffs and shakes her head in disbelief. "Go ahead."

"I will," he assures before changing the subject. "Tonight… Sarah's staying at a hotel," he explains. "I'm staying here."

"Wait, you guys haven't slept together?" Devon questions innocently.

Chuck turns a bright red as he blushes furiously at the thought of sleeping with Sarah… or just seeing Sarah's flawless form in her bare, yet ample perfection. Luckily, Sarah notices his embarrassment and steps up. "We just started dating," Sarah replies with a disarming smile. "We're taking it slow. Seeing if there is something there first."

"There's definitely something there," Ellie nods understandingly, but with a hint of mischief.

"I think I'll be going too," Bryce states with a yawn as he stands up and stretches. "It was great seeing you guys again and Ellie, the food was fantastic as always."

"Thank you, Bryce," Ellie smiles at him. "It was nice seeing you again too."

"I'm gonna go walk them out," Chuck states as he stands up and Sarah lifts Chuck's arm to slide under it; a cold breeze strikes her the moment she pulls from his embrace.

"Alright," Ellie nods. "Goodnight, Sarah. It was great meeting you. I'm so happy for you guys."

"Thank you, Ellie," Sarah smiles sincerely. "It was a pleasure meeting all of you and the food was absolutely amazing."

"Thank you," Ellie smiles amusedly. "I bet Chuck's been feeding you Hot Pockets and bologna sandwiches."

"Hey! Bologna is delicious," Chuck protests jokingly and Sarah giggles lightly.

"I know," Ellie smiles at Chuck. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Devon chimes cheerily.

"Keep him safe," Morgan smiles at Sarah.

"I will," Sarah smiles at the coincidence that her job is literally to protect him and keep him safe. "Goodnight everyone."

Chuck and Sarah walk to the door and Sarah smiles at him. _Time to complete the cover,_ Sarah muses as she turns and pulls herself into Chuck's arms. "Happy birthday, Chuck," she reaches her arms under his armpits and hooks onto his shoulders to pull herself as close to him as possible. She finally gently presses her lips to his in a display of affection and love to the naked eye. They hold the sweet, soft, sensual kiss for nearly half a minute before Sarah retracts and smiles shyly at Chuck. _Those damn soft succulent lips,_ Sarah scolds herself for enjoying the amazing feeling of his lips. He is completely frozen in place as his skin seems to be reddened deeply. They sit in each other's arms for a few more seconds as Sarah revels in his warmth. She doesn't know what it is, but she can totally imagine sleeping in that warmth every night.

**September 24, 2004**

Chuck is sitting on his bed as he reminisces about the room that looks exactly the same as how he left it. Ellie walks in and sits next to him. She runs her hand through his hair. "I like Sarah," Ellie declares softly. "She's very sweet and she likes you a lot. Do you like her?"

"Yes, I do," Chuck smiles at his sister. "I've missed you, El."

"I've missed you too," Ellie sighs with a sad smile. "You look good Chuck. You look a little more muscular and fit. Have you been working out?"

"Yea," Chuck responds, which isn't technically a lie because he does workout but his build is mostly from training at the Farm.

"Good," Ellie pipes happily. "I'm sure Sarah likes that too. She's a great girl. Even if you're taking it slow, just don't let her go, Chuck," She states seriously. "I like seeing you happy and you're happy with her, right?"

"Yea, I am," Chuck replies.

"Good," Ellie kisses Chuck on the forehead as she stands up to leave. "It's nice having you back; even if it is only for a couple days. Goodnight, Chuck. I love you and happy birthday."

"Thanks, I love you too, sis," Chuck replies with a subtle smile. He has missed his sister in the last year with only being able to talk to her on the phone. "Goodnight."

Less than ten minutes later, Devon slips into Chuck's room as if he is trying to hide from someone. "Hey bro," he whispers quickly. Chuck furrows his brow at Devon's eccentric acting. Devon sits down on Chuck's bed and grins at him. "Sarah's awesome, by the way," he flashes a quick grin before falling back into his seldom seen unsecure shell.

"Thanks, Awesome," Chuck replies but with curiosity and concern in his tone. "Is everything alright?"

Devon stares at the closed door for a good long second before turning back to Chuck, "I need to talk to you about Ellie."

"Uh yea, yea of course," Chuck sits down next to Devon to give him his full attention.

"Well, um, ever since we've been dating, I've come to think of you as that little brother I never had," Devon chuckles at his joke, but it comes off as more pained than anything else.

"Don't you have two younger brothers?" Chuck queries with a furrowed brow.

"Indeed," Devon grins, "Indeed." Devon looks down at his fumbling hands for a second before looking up. "But you seem like someone who can offer sage wisdom in confusing times… And this is one of those times I am really confused, bro."

"Um… okay," Chuck tries his best to read Devon and see what is going on. His conclusions lead him to think he is either leaving Ellie or something has happened that is going to change their relationship forever.

"This is one of those rare moments when things are not kosher, Chuck," Devon states without being able to look Chuck in the eyes. "Oh man, this is harder than I thought."

"Uh, huh," Chuck murmurs with an encouraging nod. "Go on."

"Well, I've been thinking a lot about the way things are between me and your sister," Devon explains animatedly as he uses his hands for extra emphasis. "And you're the man in Ellie's family. So I was wondering… can I have your permission…" Devon slides his hand in his pocket and then pulls out a small red box. "Can I marry Ellie?" He opens the box to show the ring.

"Wow," Chuck mumbles in awe as his jaw droops slightly. "Wow that's quite a rock you have there."

"Is that a yes?" Devon asks anxiously.

"Wait a minute," Chuck takes on a mischievous grin, "I think this is the first time I've ever seen you not act completely awesome." Devon's worried and fearful expression is enough torture and Chuck grins brightly. "Yes! Yes, you have my blessings."

Devon sighs heavily with utter relief as a reverent smile overtakes his worried expression. "This ring has been in my family for years. It's my great grandmother's ring," Devon explains with a pride for his family. "You think she'll like it?"

"Like it? She'll love it," Chuck smiles at the man who will one day be his brother-in-law. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, bro," Devon pulls Chuck into a hug. "Soon enough I'm going to mean it literally." Devon flashes a charming smile.

"Yea," Chuck chuckles before becoming serious and heartfelt. "I'm happy for you guys. I know how much you love my sister… and she deserves this."

"Ellie means the world to me," Devon states truthfully. "Thanks, Chuck. You're the best brother a sister can have," Devon pats Chuck on the shoulder in a friendly caring manner and leaves the room.

**No mission this time, but some family bonding time. Next chapter will be a fun little mission.**

**Please review.**


	15. Damn You Look Good in That Skirt

**SPECIAL UPDATE! The final season of Chuck is starting tonight so I'm making the day just a little more special with this update to keep you sated until the night arrives and the greatest show of all time continues with a brand new episode that looks awesomely, fantastically, amazingly tremendous! I'll still never figure out how the show runners were able to get such amazing guest stars from Mark Hamill to Carrie-Anne Moss to Rebecca Romjin to Abed from Community to Cheryl Ladd to Tim Dekay! And those are only the ones I'm really looking forward to.**

**Thanks for all the reviews so far and this chapter goes out to **_**esardi**_** who is painfully reading through this story although his hate for Bryce Larkin rivals Hitler's hate for Jews. The reviews have been wonderful and have helped me develop this story into something you all hopefully enjoy further. Without further ado…**

**Oh wait: I do not own Chuck.**

**September 25, 2004**

Chuck is taking advantage of his short birthday vacation by sleeping in his old comfortable bed in the room he missed so much. He is blissfully sleeping on his back when voices interrupt him. "Man," a male voice chuckles heartily, "I haven't used the Morgan door in ages!"

"It's called the Morgan door?" An angelic female voice asks with curiosity.

"Yea, Morgan made it famous by using it as an entrance instead of the front door," the male voice explains mirthfully. After a pause, the voice states with utter amusement, "Still sleeping? What'd you pull a Halo marathon with Morgan?"

Chuck unceremoniously lurches forward with a groan when something heavy hits him in the stomach.

"That wasn't very nice," the female voice states with slight bitterness. "Chuck," the voice whispers sultrily in his ear, "wake up, baby." A warm soft hand gently strokes Chuck's cheek. "Thank you for the great time last night," she whispers huskily in a suggestive tone as she places her lips inches away from his ear so her warm breath perspires along his ear canal.

Chuck cracks open a single shocked eye to see Sarah smiling amusedly down at him. "Sarah?" He croaks sleepily. Sarah and Bryce both break out in laughter.

"Good morning, Chuck," she smiles widely through her fit of laughter.

"Come on, buddy," Bryce jumps onto Chuck's bed. "Wake up, we've got a mission."

"Bryce?" Chuck opens the other eye to see his friend sitting on the edge of the bed. Chuck finally realizes the predicament he is in. He inconspicuously lowers his hand. _Please don't be there, please don't be there,_ Chuck begs as he feels his crotch and it is flaccid. Chuck visibly sighs before realizing he is only in his boxers and a shirt. He starts to blush as he stammers out, "mission? What? We're on vacation."

"The bad guys don't take vacations," Bryce quips.

"Okay, okay," Chuck relents with an eye roll. "Can I at least get dressed?"

"Why? Are you nude under there?" Bryce asks amusedly. "I'm sure Sarah would love to see that."

"What?" Sarah flinches back in utter shock as thoughts of Chuck's nude body invade her mind. _Strong toned pectorals and six pack—Stop it! Don't blush, don't blush,_ Sarah repeats as she tries to act calm through the heavy laughter coming from Bryce. For some odd reason, Sarah's thoughts reminisce back to Carina as that is definitely something Carina would ask and possibly even act on.

"No, I'm not nude," Chuck deadpans at the ridiculous question.

"Then hurry up, Graham wants to brief us in thirty minutes," Bryce pats Chuck on the stomach incessantly hard.

Chuck flinches forward with a grunt while blessing the fact that Bryce's hand wasn't four inches lower.

**September 25, 2004**

Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce are in Bryce's hotel room. Bryce set up his laptop and connects the feed to Graham. Graham's scowling expression instantly replaces the floating CIA logo. "Team," Graham sighs in frustration, "I'm sorry to interrupt your vacation, but there's a mission that just came up and we can use your help."

"We're in L.A. though," Chuck explains skeptically.

"That's where the mission is. That's why we need your help."

"Well, at least it's technically not on my birthday," Chuck quips, eliciting a small smile from Sarah.

"What's the mission?" Bryce asks curiously.

"Fulcrum has multiple fronts in L.A. and we believe this building," Graham lifts an image of a tall round building, "is one of those fronts. Because Fulcrum thinks you're the Intersect," Graham glances at Bryce, "Agent Walker and Carmichael, you need to infiltrate the building and set up some bugs. We need to learn what Fulcrum is planning so we can stay a step ahead of them."

"How do you propose we do that?" Sarah asks curiously.

"Actually…" Chuck raises an ecstatic finger. "I have an idea. I used to work at the BuyMore and back in Stanford…"

"Oh god," Bryce grins at his friend with mock dread.

"Yep, the Bartowski Special," Chuck smiles brightly.

"What's that?" Sarah pipes curiously.

"It's a virus Chuck created back in Stanford," Bryce explains with disbelief. "It attacks the network and shuts it down until Chuck codes in the password."

"So, you're proposing to go in there as BuyMore employees?" Graham conjectures with a furrowed brow and a tilted head.

"Well, Nerd Herd is more appropriate, but yea," Chuck nods enthusiastically. "I could just place a bug on their server that will let us tap into their security feeds undetected."

Graham is a little surprised by Chuck's unique idea as he tries to keep the proud grin from forming on his face. "This could work," Graham nods.

"Yea," Chuck surges with pride at the cunning idea. "Uh, I don't know if I'm going to fit in my old outfit but…"

"Don't worry, Carmichael, "Graham grins proudly at Chuck's out-of-the-box thinking, "I'll have the outfits delivered in two hours. Oh," Graham smirks, "and happy birthday, Chuck." Graham ends the feed with a teasing grin.

"Where'd you come up with that idea?" Sarah asks in slight surprise at Chuck's resourcefulness.

"I don't know," Chuck shrugs innocently. "It just kind of came to me."

"Well, it's a great idea," Sarah smiles approvingly at Chuck.

"Thanks," Chuck returns a brilliant smile as he feels butterflies flutter inside his stomach at being complimented by the perfect specimen that is Sarah.

"Didn't think you'd be wearing another Nerd Herd outfit, did ya?" Bryce smiles mirthfully.

"Nope, but this'll definitely stir up some memories," Chuck quips with a shrug.

**September 25, 2004**

"Really?" Sarah huffs agitatedly as she holds up the short black Nerd Herd skirt to her waist. "And you used to work there, huh?" Sarah asks with a snort.

"It's regulation," Chuck shrugs as he has no other explanative answer. He never really noticed how short it was because it was so rare that there was a female Nerd Herder.

"I'm sure it is," Sarah scoffs as she takes the outfit to the bathroom to change jokingly mumbling to herself, "maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all."

"You guys going to be alright?" Bryce asks with concern as Chuck starts getting dressed.

"Come on," Chuck waives without any worry as he pulls the black Nerd Herd slacks over his long legs, "I created the virus. I think I can fix it too."

"I know," Bryce bows his head as he takes an intermittent pause, "It's just I'm not going to be out there."

"Someone's feeling jealous," Chuck smirks as he slides his left hand through the sleeve of the white Nerd Herd short sleeve dress shirt.

"No I'm not," Bryce retorts defensively, but in reality, he is extremely jealous that Chuck is going out in the field instead of him. "It's just I'm not there to protect you."

Before anyone could say anything else, Sarah steps out of the bathroom in her Nerd Herd ensemble. It would be an understatement to say Chuck's jaw dropped to the floor. "Well?" Sarah queries with a shrug as she strikes a palm-towards-the-sky pose in her Nerd Herd outfit.

"Wow…" Chuck murmurs in awe before using all his concentration on not gawking at Sarah in the short black skirt that her long honeyed legs extend from and the cleavage-friendly shirt that shows just the rim of her silky abdomen and the way the grey tie is loosely around her neck is just so damn sexy. _How am I supposed to focus on the mission with Sarah looking so god damn beautiful,_ Chuck questions.

"Are you going to get dressed?" Sarah questions Chuck who has a single arm in the white Nerd Herd shirt as he is frozen in place.

Bryce darts his eyes back and forth between his partners in a curious studying gaze.

"What?" Yea, um, yea, I'm getting dressed," Chuck fumbles out as he breaks out of his paralysis as if someone pressed pause on his life and then pressed play. He slides his other arms through the sleeve and starts buttoning his white Nerd Herd shirt.

"Alright, I'm kind of out of my element here," Sarah confesses.

"Because you're not a nerd?" Bryce questions humorously.

"Exactly," Sarah nods truthfully. "So, what exactly are we going to do?"

"It should be simple," Chuck explains as he finishes the last button on his shirt. "You just need to stand there and pretend like you know what you're doing and I'll do all the work." Chuck slides his grey tie around his neck and ties it.

"So just a few analyzing looks," Sarah muses as she fixes Chuck's tie as she softly smiles at him.

Chuck watches in astonishment as her fingers graze his clothed chest as she fixes the tie. "Yea…" Chuck hums in awe at Sarah's proximity.

"Sounds doable," Sarah muses innocently as she retracts her hands and admires her handiwork as she slightly crooks her head.

**September 25, 2004**

Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce are sitting in the van putting their earpieces in and their microphone watches on. "So, this is just going to be simple," Chuck explains as he looks over at Sarah. "You just need to distract whoever while I do all the work."

"I think I can do that," Sarah quips sarcastically with a small smile. She has been known to have a bit of a silver tongue when the need arises.

"Bryce," Chuck smirks evilly, "have fun in the van."

Bryce narrows his eyes and grumbles at hearing his own words thrown back at him. Chuck lets out a laugh as he and Sarah exit the van.

Chuck and Sarah walk up to the suspected Fulcrum building and straight to the front desk; a briefcase in Chuck's hand. The fact that every pair of eyes, including Chuck's, are glued onto Sarah's figure is not lost on them. "Hi, yes, you called about a computer problem?" Chuck explains in an upbeat tone as he hesitantly pulls his eyes from Sarah and smiles at the receptionist.

The male receptionist reluctantly tears his eyes away from Sarah as he plasters a fake smile towards Chuck. "I wasn't aware of a computer emergency," the man furrows his brow slightly.

"Yes, well we got a call into the Nerd Herd department saying there was something wrong with the servers," Chuck explains as Sarah smiles sweetly at the man.

"Um…" the receptionist looks around as if he is having a dilemma and finally nods to Chuck and Sarah. "Alright, I'll lead you to the server room." He gets up and starts walking off towards the elevators.

Sarah and Chuck follow behind and Chuck's pace quickly and unknowingly lags behind Sarah. He quickly realizes how dangerous she is as he gets lost in her backside under that tiny little black skirt. "Oomph," Chuck grunts as he runs into the wall just next to the elevator. He shakes himself out of his stupor and his gaze quickly shoots up to eye level and he steps into the elevator.

"Eyes up front, soldier," Bryce snickers from the van into Chuck's earpiece.

Chuck rolls his eyes as he and Sarah are standing just in front of the receptionist as the elevator ascends. As the elevator finally 'dings,' they step out and the receptionist retakes the lead and directs them into the server room where there are two IT geeks trying to fix the problem; one tall and lanky and the other one short and chubby.

"They're here to help fix the servers," the receptionist grunts apathetically.

"We don't…" Both of the geeks' voices die on their lips as they blankly stare in complete awe at Sarah. "Yes, we need help!" Sarah gives them a small smile in return although she can feel their eyes

"Thank you," Chuck nods appreciatively before the receptionist reluctantly leaves after getting another nice gaze at Sarah's behind.

Sarah stands there with a sweet innocent smile as she has to fight the bile rising in her throat at the vulgar stares. The two geeks probably have never seen such a beautiful woman in their lives. Chuck takes complete advantage of the awed geeks as he plugs a USB into the server so he can install a bug into their system to allow the CIA to watch and listen to the security systems undetected.

"Let's see," Sarah slowly saunters up to the main console while Chuck is installing the bug. The two pairs of eyes follow Sarah like a hawk as she steps up to the fried computer. Chuck quickly lets the bug install itself as Sarah leans over the computer as if she is studying it. The two geeks walk up and try to impress her with their ideas, which gives Chuck the time he needs to successfully install the bugs.

"The CPU has been massively overvaulted," the overweight IT geek explains with an air of confidence around him as he tries to impress Sarah. "But we may be able to ghost a drive on the other system."

The lanky IT scoffs as if he is the king of all computers. "The more elegant solution would be to flash the bios and swap out the cooked CPU," he explains even more boastfully.

"Don't worry," Chuck haughtily sneaks up in between the two geeks, "I think I got this well in hand."

Sarah watches in slight surprise at the speed of Chuck's hands as he removes the CPU and the hard drive. He then plugs a new CPU while replacing each wire. Lastly, he puts the hard drive back into the computer and boots the computer. As it hums to life, Chuck speedily types a long line of code on the keyboard and the computer home screen appears with no problems.

"It should be working fine now," Chuck smiles at the two geeks who look in awe of how quick he worked. Sarah smiles in admiration at how cool and collected Chuck was. "It was a pleasure helping you guys out," Chuck waves as he and Sarah walk out of the room, leaving the two IT geeks in awe and confusion at Chuck's masterful ability. He fixed it in less than five minutes while they had already spent over an hour on trying to figure it out.

"Bryce," Chuck brings up his watch, "I installed the bug on their server. You got the feeds?"

"Uh… yep," Bryce replies. "Looks like I can see and hear everything they can."

"Great, we'll be out in a minute," Chuck smiles victoriously.

"Wow, that was easier than I thought," Sarah smiles at Chuck. "I don't think I even had to speak a word."

"Well, Sarah," Chuck smiles charmingly, "you're in Geek land and it's not often they see a woman like you. And that is only on their computer screens."

**September 25, 2004**

"Sir, the bug is in place and you should be able to see and hear everything they can," Chuck explains to Graham through the computer feed on Bryce's laptop in Bryce's hotel room.

"I'm watching it now," Graham explains with a small proud grin. "Great job team. I'll send the feed to the analysts and they will keep a watchful eye on it. Your flight back to D.C. is tomorrow at 1400 hours. Have a good day." Graham ends the feed.

"I think that's the closest he is going to get to saying goodbye," Chuck quips with a smile.

"Chuck, do you have any more family plans?" Sarah asks curiously.

"No…" Chuck states nonchalantly before remembering something huge. His eyes widen comically. "Devon was going to ask Ellie to marry him!"

"Really?" Sarah's eyebrows rise in surprise.

"Congratulations, dude," Bryce pats Chuck on the back shoulder.

"I don't know if she said yes yet," Chuck grabs the keys to the CIA issued vehicle. "I hope it's okay if I take the car." Graham was only able to give them a single vehicle so they need to share.

"Go ahead," Bryce smiles at Chuck. "Make sure you tell them congratulations for me."

"I will," Chuck smiles back at his friend. This may be the happiest day of Ellie's life.

"Chuck?" Sarah asks shyly. "Do you think I can come? I don't really know L.A. at all and have only been here on missions."

"Sure, come on," Chuck gives her a friendly welcoming smile. "How 'bout you, Bryce? You want to come?"

"Um, no, I'm good," Bryce waives calmly.

"Alright," Chuck shrugs before smiling at Sarah with his hand stretched out for hers. "Ready to be my girlfriend again?"

"Yep!" Sarah enthusiastically exclaims as she takes his hand. She enjoys the warmth of Chuck's touch and holding his hand is just another extension of that comfort.

**September 25, 2004**

Chuck and Sarah stroll into the courtyard. Chuck has been anxious to know the results of Devon popping the question. Sarah couldn't help but feel pride and happiness for Chuck and his family. As they get to the fountain, Sarah stops both of them and points to the window into Ellie and Devon's apartment. "Look," she whispers to him. "You wanna?" She motions her head towards the window.

"What? Spy? You?" Chuck acts affronted before smiling as they both sneak up to the side of the window and lean over to see inside the apartment.

Ellie is cuddled in Devon's arms after devouring her pecan pie. She looks very content with everything as she just relaxes into Devon's side with his arm around her. He is gently rubbing her shoulder comfortably. With his right hand, he pulls the little red box from his pocket. He eases the box in front of Ellie and opens it in front of her. Ellie's eyes widen in surprise before she sits up straight and looks at Devon in complete blissful shock. She then throws her arms around his neck and plants a loving kiss as she holds onto her now fiancé for dear life.

"Congratulations," Sarah states sincerely as she looks back at the awed expression on Chuck's face.

"Thanks," he answers while still gazing on the loving couple inside the apartment.

"Don't you think you should go in and congratulate Ellie?"

"You wanna come in with me?" Chuck asks seriously in a soft comforting tone.

"Oh," Sarah shakes her head. "It's a family time."

Chuck looks into her eyes with raw emotion and honesty. "I know," he humbly replies.

Sarah struggles with the epiphany of being part of a family. She hasn't been part of a family since she was only a toddler, and still, it didn't feel like much. She is blessed and excited that Chuck would welcome her into his family so quickly, but she is also scared to be labeled as part of a family. She realizes she is just standing there with a faraway look and finally states, "I'll wait out by the fountain."

Chuck feels a slight pang of disappointment, but buries it quickly as he cannot expect Sarah to integrate herself into his family so soon. They've only just met her and she is only a partner and friend. But for some reason, Chuck feels safe and confident with Sarah around. Chuck walks into the front door as Sarah leisurely walks over to the fountain and sits down with a large sigh.

She watches through the window from the fountain as Ellie jumps into Chuck's arms. Sarah sighs again as she watches the sibling exchange with envy. She's an only child so she never had that interaction with anyone. The closest thing to a sister is Carina or Zondra, and that isn't even a comparison to the closeness that Chuck and Ellie share. She wouldn't be surprised if Chuck was injured on a mission and Ellie was able to feel the pain in some bizarre paranormal sibling connection. Sarah sighs despondently with her shoulders slumped and her hands clasped in her lap, something she has been doing a lot of in the last minute. The joy on their faces is something she'll never have and she could only hope someone could bring her the happiness that Devon gave Ellie. Chuck looks so happy too. He will always have a home to come back to, while she doesn't have anything or anyone to come home to and never will. No one could ever love a coldhearted spy like herself.

As Ellie finally releases Chuck, he smiles brightly at her. "I'm so happy for you, El," he states with radiant bliss.

"Thank you, Chuck," Ellie wipes a tear of joy from her eye as she gazes down at the ring with an admiring smile. "It's so beautiful," she innocuously plays with it.

"It was my grandmother's ring," Devon explains as he has trouble keeping the tears from escaping. "She knew you were the one even before I did," his voice cracks ever so slightly.

Ellie climbs into his arms and holds him tightly. "I love you, Devon," she mumbles into his chest.

"I love you too, babe," he holds her to his chest as he admires her for everything she is.

Chuck watches the interaction with slight envy. He has never been in love as deeply as Ellie and Devon and wishes that one day he will find someone who loves him as much as he loves her back. He is exuberantly ecstatic for his sister, but he cannot help but feel like something is missing from making this 'a perfect moment.' Chuck's eyes drift to the side and out the window when he sees Sarah sitting reservedly at the fountain with her hands in her lap. Chuck makes his way out the front door and joins up with Sarah at the fountain. He sighs as he takes a seat beside her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Sarah muses with a hint of envy in her tone without looking up at Chuck.

"Yea," Chuck sighs again. "I don't think I've ever seen Ellie so happy before."

"I'm happy for her. She looks very much in love," Sarah explains with that same hint desire in her tone.

"She is," Chuck sighs; something he has been doing a lot in the last minute. "They've been together since their first week of med school. It's pretty gross," Chuck grins at Sarah to show he is joking. Sarah lets out a tiny giggle at Chuck's joke as it lightens the mood just enough. "It's like one of those high school sweetheart stories except in college… but Devon really is a great guy. I don't think I've ever heard him speak ill of Ellie. The guy may be a little too awesome for his own good, but he's a saint."

"Chuck?" Sarah asks quietly in almost a shy tone.

"Yea?" Chuck gives her his full attention in a sincere manner.

"Why would Ellie know about me before the cover?" Sarah asks in a quiet curious tone that isn't demanding at all. But she is curious to know as she remembers Ellie mentioning it yesterday.

"What do you mean?" Chuck furrows his brow.

"Well, she said she told you to ask me out?" Sarah looks at him to gage his reaction.

"Oh… that," Chuck blushes just the slightest red as he nervously fiddles with his hands. "Well, you know how Ellie likes to stick her nose into other people's business?"

"Um, no," Sarah shrugs as she has only met Ellie once and that was yesterday. "But okay."

"Well Ellie loves to dig and dig and dig," Chuck uses his hands to emphasize his point by digging into the air like a dog digging in the ground, "especially when it comes to me. Yea, so, I may've mentioned you in passing… It was right after I helped you with Amy Barrett and you were kind of still on my mind… and Ellie kind of forced to me to… uh, well, describe you." His voice got increasingly weaker as he finished his explanation while his blush only got darker.

"What'd you say?" Sarah cannot help but entertain herself at Chuck's expense.

"Um, well," Chuck sheepishly scratches the back of his head, "tall, blonde, blue eyes, smart, and um, very pretty."

"You think I'm pretty?" Sarah asks coyly as a small grin creeps up her features.

"Sarah," he states with pure conviction, "you're beautiful."

"Thank you," she smiles bashfully at his honest compliment.

"Um, yea, so Ellie kind of told me to ask you out, but she didn't know we were hundreds of miles apart and not working together at the time," Chuck defends himself against no one in a desperate attempt to seem justified.

"It's okay, Chuck," Sarah nods with a subtle smile at knowing the honest answer… and it makes her heart flutter with joy that he thinks she's beautiful. Chuck sighs in relief as he feels like he may've just dodged a bullet.

Silence falls upon them as they watch Ellie and Devon cuddle up on the couch and hold each other in their arms with complete love for one another.

"Do you believe in love, Sarah?" Chuck asks with a slightly amused tone as he breaks the silence.

"Sure," Sarah shrugs apathetically. "I mean… it exists. Just look at your sister and Devon."

"But," Chuck adds in the conjunction of Sarah's answer as he knows it is coming.

"But," she sighs again, "I don't know if everyone finds love… or if everyone deserves it," she adds quietly. _I surely don't,_ Sarah reprimands herself for all she has done as a spy and her past life as a conman.

"Sure they do," Chuck replies with an upbeat tone as he isn't deterred by her words.

Sarah looks at him and finally realizes something about Chuck, which is a great quality in someone. "You're an optimist, huh?" Sarah grins amusedly.

"Well, I try to be," Chuck responds with an honest smile. "If we can't look forward to the future, then what do we have to look forward to?"

Sarah sighs heavily. Those are some of the truest words she has ever heard. _But what do I have to look forward to?_ Sarah questions herself and her possible future. She has no one to come home to or to love. She cannot even see past the next mission as every mission could be her last. _Who do I have to look forward to?_

Sarah's thoughts are interrupted as Chuck pulls her into his arms. She doesn't resist, but instead she molds into his chest as she lays her head on his outside shoulder gazing out into the distance; his warmth comforting her more than anything she's ever experienced. "Thank you, Sarah," he whispers humbly. She honestly doesn't know what he is thanking her for, but she disregards the question as she enjoys his soothing friendliness as it makes her feel like she is finally heading in the right direction of her life. "For everything."

**Please review.**


	16. Solving the Puzzle of Orion

**Thanks for the reviews so far. They're just amazing. As amazing as Sarah in complete lingerie as she tries to seduce Chuck… well, not that awesome, but reviews are pretty awesome. I hope everyone liked the first episode of season 5. I thought it was fun with all the elements that make Chuck its unique blend of comedy, drama, and action. For my one word review: Zoomerific! I don't want to spoil anything for you international readers, so I'll stop now.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**October 3, 2004**

"You heading out, Tim?" The lobby guard asks as he sees his fellow employee heading for the exit.

"Yea, I finally got the night shift off," Tim replies with mirth. He has spent the last month taking the night shift and blesses whatever god changed the schedule. "I'll see you later…" Tim's words die on his lips as he slumps to the floor lifelessly after hearing a quiet whistling sound.

"Tim?" Jay, the security guard, asks worriedly as his eyes widen when he sees his coworker crumble to the floor. "Tim!" He rushes to his fellow employee to see a pool of blood slowly expand below him. "Shit!" Jay grabs his radio. "Code Red…" Another whistle pierces the tense air and Jay slumps over Tim; his blood pouring out from the bullet hole in the side of his head.

A man steps out of the darkness wearing all black and a mask that covers all of his face except for his eyes. He sprints through the lobby and to the stairwell. He jumps up the stairs; skipping each step. He sees a guard hurrying down the stairs after the 'code red' call on the radio. The masked man quickly fires two bullets into the guard's chest and the guard crumbles to the floor. The masked man continues to the sixth floor and busts through the door into the concrete hallway where two guards are standing.

The two guards look on in shock as they try to un-holster their weapons. The masked man takes advantage as he fires two bullets into each of their chests. He sprints by the two dead bodies and finds a heavy steel door. He tries to hack into the keypad, but doesn't have the time. He places a small explosive on the door and steps ten feet back.

The door explodes with a loud boom that resonates through the hallway. The man shoulder charges the doors and they collapse and he stumbles into a room that is the size of a football field and completely white with a console in the center. He pulls a portable device from his back pocket and plugs it into the console. He puts on black sunglasses and downloads the Intersect onto his handheld device. The Intersect files flash around him as the device saps every single image contained in the Intersect. After it finishes, he drops his glasses and crushes them under his foot. He places another explosive on the console and sprints for the doors.

As he turns out the Intersect room, the explosive detonates and incinerates the Intersect into a pile of ash. A guard is standing around the corner with his gun aimed. He fires a single bullet, but misses. The masked man fires a shot from his pistol that hits the guard in the stomach. The guard falls to his knees as he clutches the stomach wound. The masked man runs up to the guard and stands over him in an ominous fashion. He fires a single bullet into the cranium of the guard before heading to the stairwell. As he breaks into the stairwell, he looks down to see multiple guards rushing up the stairs. He decides to head up and he finds himself on the roof.

He looks for a ladder, but there isn't one, so he finds the safest place to jump to, which is two floors below him. He lands with a roll and a grunt as he continues to escape. He looks for another way down, which there is an awning over the first floor of the building. He jumps down to the awning with another gymnastic roll to break the fall. He looks over the awning to see the ground and quickly jumps down. He lands with bent knees and takes a quick glance around to make sure he is safe when a loud shot rings out.

The masked man is hammered to the ground by a bullet in the chest. He fumbles for his device that has the Intersect on it and quickly fries it; losing the Intersect for good.

"Don't move," a tall burly man demands as he aims his gun at the masked man. He steps over the crumpled man and kicks the gun away.

"You're too late, Agent Casey," the masked man chokes out with a humorous tone. "I destroyed it," he laughs evilly.

The burly man tears off the mask to reveal the man's face. He is balding, with dark brown eyes. The burly man digs into the bloodied man's pockets and finds a wallet with an i.d. that states the man on the floor is a Vincent Smith.

**October 3, 2004**

Director Graham is standing in the wreckage of what used to be the Intersect room. The ceiling is collapsed in most areas and the walls that were once white are now brittle and charred. He is standing next to the large man who apprehended the intruder and a short redheaded woman in a military suit. "How the hell did this happen?" Graham sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

"We weren't prepared," the red-haired woman states with the same disappointment.

"General Beckman," the burly man speaks up with a questioning tone. "If it isn't too much, what was the Intersect?"

"It's alright, Casey," Beckman states. "After 9/11, the NSA and CIA were told to play nice and share their intel. The Intersect was all that intel and now it's gone." Beckman grunts in annoyance. "Everything was for nothing. Looks like we're going to have to hold off on a human Intersect until we can rebuild it."

"Which Orion is the only one who knows exactly how to," Graham states gravely.

"And Orion is a ghost," Beckman adds solemnly. "We're going to have a ball with this one," she states sarcastically.

"It looks that way," Graham says in sorrow. He knows there is still one human Intersect out there in Chuck Bartowski, but he wouldn't dare share him with the NSA. "Major Casey, were you able to get anything off the intruder?"

"Just an i.d.," Casey explains. "His name is Vincent Smith."

"Doesn't ring any bells," Graham muses. "I'll see if I can find out more about this intruder."

**October 4, 2004**

"Hey Jennifer," Chuck grins sincerely with a friendly wave as Bryce and Sarah trail on his heels.

"You guys better get in there," Jennifer warns with a wary tone. "I don't think he's happy right now."

"Alright," Chuck sucks in a deep breath as he enters the office. Graham is on the phone and he gestures for them to sit down. "No, I haven't found anything yet," Graham nearly growls in agitation. "I'll get back to you in a minute." Graham sighs as he paces back and forth. "I'm aware of it, General," he deadpans. "Good day." Graham uses almost all of his resolve not to slam his phone against the desk.

"Sir?" Sarah queries with a curious expression.

Graham sighs as he sits in his seat. "Last night, someone broke into the Intersect room and destroyed it," he explains reservedly.

"What?" Chuck blurts out in surprise as his eyes widen.

"They tried to steal the Intersect and destroy it, but we stopped them from getting away with it… but they destroyed it beyond repair."

"What does this mean?" Chuck asks.

"It means you're going to be the only Intersect for a long time," Graham states boldly as he opens a file on his desk. "This is the man who infiltrated the Intersect building last night," Graham slides an image of the man, who looks like he could be a mummy, towards Chuck. Chuck looks at the face and feels the tingle of a flash.

_A black crow._

_Former U.S. Army Ranger._

_KIA in Khowst, Afghanistan._

_Fulcrum Agent._

_A picture of him and Theodore Roark, owner and CEO of Roark Industries._

_A black crow._

"Whoa," Chuck shakes himself out of the flash.

"What did you see?" Graham asks impatiently; hoping it wasn't Fulcrum who did this.

"He was a former U.S. Army Ranger who was supposedly killed in action in Afghanistan," Chuck explains. "He is a Fulcrum agent and there was a picture of him and Ted Roark," Chuck shrugs as he furrows his brow curiously.

"Like Roark Instruments, Ted Roark? The billionaire?" Bryce questions in surprise.

"Yea," Chuck assures. "He was shaking hands with Roark."

"What the hell could Roark have to do with this?" Graham questions himself as he tries to put the pieces together.

"Well, the man is a computer genius who has created many revolutionary technologies," Chuck explains. "You think he could've had a contract with Fulcrum? They would be interested in his technology."

"Or they are using him," Bryce suggests. "Maybe Fulcrum is threatening his life if he doesn't work for them."

"I don't know," Graham sighs as he tries to take everything in. "It's possible, but we can't just go and arrest an influential person like Roark without undeniable evidence."

"So where do we go from here, sir?" Sarah asks as she leans forward hoping for the next mission. Missions are the highlights of her life as she thrives on the danger.

"You didn't see any locations or possible Fulcrum hideouts?" Graham halfheartedly asks Chuck, even though he knows the answer himself.

"No, I'm sorry," Chuck bows his head in a sorrowful manner. "Um… What exactly happened to this guy?" Chuck asks as he gingerly points at the image of Vincent Smith.

"He was shot and presumed dead by an NSA medical team, why?"

"Well, this guy… it just seems like he isn't going to die easily," Chuck explains his opinions. "He already faked his death once. I think you should make sure he is actually dead."

"I'll keep that in mind, but there isn't a mission yet," Graham sighs in relent. "I'll keep you posted if there is a new mission. You're dismissed."

**October 12, 2004**

Chuck breathes slowly as he tries to calm himself. _It is just a friendly phone call_; he admonishes himself for being so weak-willed. _You got this,_ Chuck encourages himself as he finds the number he is looking to dial on his phone. He hits the tiny green button and flinches back as if it is about to explode.

A single ring is heard when a female voice asks, "Chuck? Hello?"

"Oh, hi, Sarah," Chuck stammers nervously. _It's not like it is a date,_ he scolds himself.

"Hey, Chuck, what's up?" She asks in a friendly manner.

"I was, um, well, I was just wondering what you were doing tonight," Chuck continues to nervously stammer.

"Nothing, why?" Sarah asks with an offensively innocent tone. Sarah is struggling to keep the smile off her face as she can just imagine Chuck struggling and how cute he looks when he is nervous.

"Oh, well, uh, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out… get some pizza," Chuck tries to act calm and cool, but finds it hard when he is speaking to the most beautiful girl in the world. "A friend is in town and I thought it would be nice for her to meet you."

"Her?" Sarah couldn't help but question. _Chuck is dating someone?_ Sarah asks herself in surprise.

"Yea, her name's Jesse," Chuck responds, overlooking the puzzle piece of why Sarah would care if it is a male or female. "We met back at the Farm and she's a good friend." Jesse is on vacation and Chuck offered her to stay in their guest bedroom as long as she wanted to, so she accepted his offer to stay for a few days before seeing her family for the rest of her vacation.

"Um… sure," Sarah shrugs as she was doing nothing anyways. The time between missions is the bane of her existence because it leaves her to her thoughts and those usually lead to her past and darken quickly. The punching bag is only therapeutic for so long.

"Great!" Chuck exclaims with pure excitement that even Sarah is surprised by. "You can come over any time."

"I'll head over in half an hour," Sarah responds mirthfully. "I just need to shower real quick."

"Sounds good," Chuck smiles into his phone without realizing he is doing it. "See you then, Sarah."

"Bye, Chuck," Sarah ends the call and she realizes her heart is beating quicker. She's never had that kind of reaction to getting a call from a friend before. Then again, she never really had friends before Chuck and Bryce.

Thirty minutes later, Chuck, Jesse, and Bryce are sitting on the couch; the television mindlessly playing in the background. "So, you had to ride a camel?" Chuck asks amusedly with a carefree happy grin.

"Yep," Jesse nods with joy. "They can be vicious animals if you don't treat them right. But it was definitely a fun mission."

"You're lucky," Chuck sighs enviously. "We've been stuck in the states so far. I've always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower."

"You will one day, Chuck," Jesse promises with an honest grin.

"So, where're you stationed?" Bryce asks curiously as he takes a sip of his beer.

"I'm actually stationed in Rome, Italy," she smiles proudly as she hears the jealous huffs from the two men. "I know."

"Is it amazing?" Chuck asks in awe. "I've always wanted to go to Rome and Florence and stuff."

"It's molto bene!" Jesse exclaims happily, but she gets a furrowed brow of confusion from both men. "Very good," she deadpans.

"Oh!" Both of the guys reply in realization when the doorbell rings.

"That must be Sarah," Chuck stands up and walks towards the door. "It's good to see you again, Jesse," Chuck states honestly as he smiles at his friend.

"You too," she smiles at the taller man before slumping comfortably into the couch.

Chuck opens the door to be greeted by a gorgeous Sarah Walker in jeans and light blue blouse that complements her eyes, and her brilliant smile. "Hi, Chuck," Sarah says coyly.

"Hi," Chuck nearly whispers at the gorgeous sight. "Um, Come on in," he shakes himself out of the stupor. As he shuts the door behind him, he gestures a hand to the couch. "Sarah, I'd like you to meet Jesse. She's a fellow spy-in-arms."

"Hi," Sarah smiles sincerely at the brunette. Her first thought is the woman is beautiful and has a pleasant smile.

"Hi, I'm Jesse," the brunette stands up to shake Sarah's hand. Her first thoughts of the blonde are that she is absolutely gorgeous and probably has men falling for her wherever she goes. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too," Sarah smiles candidly. "A friend of Chuck and Bryce's is a friend of mine."

Chuck smiles at Sarah's sincere words. "Have a seat," Chuck casually gestures to his previous seat on the couch. Sarah complies and plops down on the comfy couch next to Jesse. Chuck pulls a chair from the dinner table and sets it up next to Sarah on the end of the couch.

"Hey Bryce," Sarah smiles across the couch to her partner. "How's everything going?"

"Fine," Bryce shrugs as he is just waiting impatiently for the next mission. He loves the rush missions give him and he wouldn't trade it for anything. "How're you?"

"I'm good," Sarah sighs as she leans into the couch. "It's nice to get out once in a while."

"Amen to that," Jesse smiles brightly.

"Oh yea," Chuck smiles brightly at Sarah, "feel free to help yourself with some pizza." He points to the dinner table where three boxes of pizza are resting. "Would you like something to drink?"

"I'll take a beer," Sarah responds sweetly after noticing Bryce's drink.

"A beer girl?" Chuck grins teasingly. "Maybe there's hope for you yet."

"Oh shut up," Sarah playfully swats at Chuck as he stands up to get a beer for her; laughing wholeheartedly the entire way.

"So, Sarah," Jesse breaks the amiable silence, "you're Chuck and Bryce's partner?"

"Yea, they needed a girl to show them how to spy," Sarah quips with a teasing smile.

Bryce scoffs at Sarah's comment.

"Oh, and who kicked who's ass in training?" Sarah couldn't help but add boastfully with an amused grin.

"What?" Jesse laughs as she looks at the flustered look on Bryce's face.

"We were still trainees," Chuck comes to Bryce's aid as he hands Sarah her beer. "Sarah actually trained us," he states as he sits back down.

"Thanks," Sarah murmurs as she takes the beer graciously.

"You did?" Jesse asks in utter surprise. Sarah doesn't look a day older than twenty-one and she was able to train them? She must be some kind of master at martial arts. "But you're so young?"

"I started young," Sarah shrugs nonchalantly.

"So you taught these boys everything they know?" Jesse asks mirthfully with a hint of mischievousness.

"Pretty much," Sarah takes a carefree sip of her beer.

"Yea and I'm sure you could probably still kick our asses," Chuck quips with a playful grin.

"Speak for yourself," Bryce states airily.

"Sure, buddy," Chuck lets out a small innocent laugh at Bryce's vanity, which elicits giggles from the two women.

"So, Jesse," Sarah looks at the brunette, "you're a spy too?"

"Yep, I'm stationed in Rome," Jesse smiles proudly.

"Rome, huh?" Sarah nods as she reminisces of her one mission in Rome. "It's a nice place, but the men there are a little too forward."

"I know what you mean," Jesse chuckles as she recalls the many times she was overtly asked out by the Italian men. "Sometimes they just can't take a hint."

"And they are always so touchy feely," Sarah shivers at the thought.

"Yea!" Jesse agrees wholeheartedly. "It's like… you can stop kissing my hand now…" she deadpans. "I don't like you."

"Or rubbing up on me," Sarah adds jokingly. Chuck smiles brightly at how quickly Sarah and Jesse are getting along.

"Thank god you guys aren't Italian," Jesse quips as she pats Bryce's thigh in a friendly manner.

"Nope," Chuck raises his hand as if he is under oath. "I'm one hundred percent American."

"There's no such thing as American," Sarah scoffs dismissively but with an airy tone. "For example, I'm originally polish and Australian."

"Really?" Chuck asks with a reverent grin.

"Yea," Sarah responds casually, finally realizing how open she is being. _You're a spy;_ she chastises herself for revealing such information. But somehow Chuck and Bryce are able to bring out that funny innocent girl, Samantha; something no one has ever been able to do before.

"Can you speak Polish?" Jesse asks in slight awe.

"Czy mogę dostać jedno piwo?" Sarah states casually as she places her empty beer on the table.

"What'd you say?" Bryce asks with intrigue.

"Can I get another beer?" Sarah smiles childishly at Chuck.

"Sure," Chuck's smiles back brightly as he stands up. _Holy crap, she makes Polish sound so sexy,_ Chuck sighs in complete disbelief. It feels like the temperature just increased a few degrees after that unexpectedly sexy bomb.

Sarah's phone rings and she looks at the picture to see it read 'Encrypted.' Sarah huffs in frustration because she was having such a great time just being herself for once. She dons her agent persona as she answers the phone reluctantly, "This is Sarah Walker."

"Agent Walker," Graham's voice resonates through the phone, "I have your next mission. Grab Agents Carmichael and Larkin and meet in my office in two hours." And just like that, the phone call ends and Sarah looks at Bryce's intense stare.

"Looks like we have a mission," Sarah smiles wryly.

**October 12, 2004**

Chuck, Bryce, and Sarah are in Graham's office as he is sitting discerningly with his hands over a folder. "As you know, the Intersect was destroyed by a Fulcrum agent," Graham explains gravely. "The only person who knows how to create it is Orion."

Chuck feels the recognizable tingle of a flash.

_A cup of coffee on a table._

_A blue diamond insignia with spokes coming from the four sides._

_The blue insignia shifts into a square and turns red._

_Computer hardware._

_A white computer with the words "the Intersect" displayed on the screen._

_A cup of coffee on a table._

Chuck huffs as he emerges from the flash.

"What did you see?" Graham asks impatiently.

"He's one of the creators of the Intersect," Chuck replies. "But it doesn't have much on him."

"All the Intersect creators used codenames and kept their names out of the Intersect," Graham explains.

Bryce is caught up on the name Orion. He swears he has heard it before, but he cannot place it. _Then why does it sound so familiar?_ He asks himself.

"What's our mission?" Sarah asks.

"We need to find Orion, and our best chance is through Dr. Busgang," Graham explains. "You remember him, right, Chuck?"

"Yes," Chuck nods curtly.

"He was one of the designers of the Intersect and he is going to be at a party tomorrow night. I need you to find him and question him about Orion. I want Agent Larkin and Walker to pose as a couple during the party and since you're so fond of Agent Willows, you," he glances at Chuck, "and her are going to pose as another couple."

"Jesse is going to be involved?" Chuck asks for confirmation with a brightened grin.

"Yes, and she mustn't know about the Intersect," Graham states seriously.

"Yes, sir," they all nod.

**October 13, 2004**

Sarah, in her black lace bra and panties walks over to the mirror in the bathroom of the hotel. Jesse follows right behind in a dark blue bra and panties as she stands next to Sarah and they both start working their makeup onto their faces. "So, how's Chuck as a partner?" Jesse asks casually.

"He's a great guy," Sarah responds instantly as if it is the easiest thing to say. "He's a little on the shy side when it comes to protecting the cover, but otherwise, he's a great partner."

"A spy who's afraid of PDA?" Jesse's eyebrows rise sardonically.

"I know, right?" Sarah has to fight a giggle away.

"So, is he better than Bryce?" Jesse asks with slight amusement as she compares the two friends.

"Different than Bryce," Sarah replies after a thoughtful pause while she applies her beige pink lipstick.

"How so?" Jesse crooks her head as she pampers her eyes with a dark eye shadow.

"I don't know," Sarah responds truthfully as she cannot quite place the differing aspects as she grabs the knife from the table and hooks it inside her bra. "With Bryce, it's more… a mission."

"And with Chuck?" Jesse continues to prod as she steps out of the bathroom to grab her dress.

"It's…" Sarah ponders the difference for the first time in their partnership as she follows Jesse out to grab her own dress. "More relaxed, I guess. I don't know. I'm usually partnered with Bryce." Sarah lifts her right leg and uses the bed as a step as she straps her knife sheath around her upper right thigh.

"Why not Chuck?" Jesse furrows her brow as she straps a .22 caliber pistol holster around her right thigh. She knows how adequate Chuck is and he is also more efficient in some aspects than Bryce.

"He's usually in the van," Sarah replies without thinking about it as she shimmies into her spaghetti strap, cobalt blue dress that peeks small slits of her silky stomach. "Zip me?" She directs her back to Jesse.

"Is Chuck always in the van?" Jesse asks with a tinge of pity as she zips Sarah's dress up to the middle of Sarah's back. That is unfair that Chuck is forced to be in the van for every mission.

"Well," Sarah knows it is because of the Intersect but she cannot tell Jesse that. "He's better with computers and electronics," Sarah answers, hoping it is sufficient enough to get Jesse to back down.

"That makes sense," Jesse shrugs as she turns her back to Sarah in her small black strapless dress that hugs her figure nicely. "Can I get a zip?"

"Sure," Sarah pulls the zipper up to the middle of Jesse's shoulders.

**October 13, 2004**

Sarah hooks her arm through Bryce's as they walk into the lush mansion and blend into the party atmosphere. Two minutes later, Chuck walks in with Jesse at his hip as they inconspicuously scour the party for Dr. Busgang. Chuck's eyes are immediately captured by the large ice sculpture and he leads Jesse towards it.

"So, Chuck," Jesse interjects casually, "what's with you guys and Sarah?"

"What do you mean?" Chuck furrows his brow.

"Well, it's just that you're a team of two guys and one girl," Jesse explains.

"Sarah's a great partner," Chuck declares confidently. "I trust her with my life."

"Are you guys dating?"

"What? Me and Sarah?" Chuck has to stifle a laugh at the ridiculous claim. "No, we're just friends."

"Is that all you are?" Jesse prods in a fashion similar to Ellie's.

"Yea…" Chuck drawls as he doesn't know where Jesse is going with this.

"Do you like her?"

"Yea, she's a good friend," he answers nonchalantly as his eyes drift off. "Bogey at our ten o'clock," he states and Jesse tenses as her head darts over to see Chuck admiring the platter of shrimp appetizers the server is bringing around. Jesse relaxes and just shakes her head in disbelief as Chuck picks a shrimp off the platter and pops it in his mouth. He notices her incredulous look and mirthfully asks, "What?"

"Nothing," she stifles a chuckle.

"Hey, I'm a big guy and I work up an appetite," Chuck quips in an airy tone.

"You are a big guy," she winks at him and he starts to turn red. "You get flustered so easily," she playfully bumps him with her shoulder. "You need to work on that if you want to be a great spy."

"I'll keep that in mind," he smiles at her.

"So, Sarah… is she with Bryce then?"

"No…" he answers immediately as if he is convincing himself too. "At least not that I know of," Chuck replies coolly.

"You like her more than a friend, don't you?" Jesse declares more than questions with a knowing smile.

"No, our relationship is strictly professional," Chuck argues.

"Chuck, you do know that agents are allowed to date, right?" She smiles sweetly at him. "It's not like you're some kind of asset and she's the handler."

"I still don't know where you're going with this," he feigns ignorance. _What is she talking about,_ Chuck questions. _Sarah is just my friend and I'm alright with that… am I?_

"I've seen the way you look at her… admire her. You care about her," Jesse states verily with no room for argument.

"I care about my friends," Chuck shoots back boldly.

"But you especially care about her," Jesse smiles haughtily knowing she is right.

"Why are you pushing this so much?"

"Because you're my friend, Chuck," Jesse states simply with a content smile as she gives him a peck on the cheek to cement the cover. "And I want you to be happy."

Chuck sighs in resignation. "Fine, I do like her, alright? She's pretty amazing. It's just…"

"What?" Jesse perks up curiously as she is ecstatic to get Chuck to open up.

"It's just… she's amazing," he says in a wondered tone about the enigmatic blonde beauty as there really aren't any words to describe her. "She's smart, funny, and beautiful."

"And?" Jesse grins joyously at hearing Chuck's confession.

"I can't compete with that," he continues in an anguished, self-deprecating tone.

"Why not?" Jesse asks with slight bitterness that Chuck would downplay himself so much. "You're smart, funny, and handsome. I don't see the problem. Plus," she smirks naughtily, "I have firsthand knowledge of how you are in bed."

Chuck blushes a beet red at her words.

Jesse lets out a small chuckle at Chuck's discomfort. "Oh, Chuck," she playfully slaps his chest. "You're too easy to mess with." She quickly becomes gravely serious. "Chuck, Sarah likes you and you like her. What more do you need to know?"

"She likes me?" Chuck asks with surprise.

"She never actually said it, but I'm pretty sure…"

"So, you're just guessing," Chuck replies in a disbelieving tone.

"Like I guessed that you like her?" Jesse smirks victoriously; especially when Chuck has no answer for it.

"Fine," he huffs in defeat, "you win. Sarah likes me, but that doesn't change anything."

"Why not?" Jesse conjectures with a furrowed brow.

"Because I'm not going to risk our partnership for a silly fling," Chuck replies flatly as he notices Dr. Howard Busgang standing in the corner chatting with a couple interested guests. His voice becomes cold and low, "I found Busgang," he speaks into his watch. "We're going to approach him."

"Roger that," Sarah chirps into the earpiece.

Chuck and Jesse walk over to Busgang and he freezes for a second at seeing Chuck before acting like Chuck is just another fan of his work with the government. "Dr. Busgang," Chuck greets cordially with a handshake, "it is a pleasure to meet you. This is my wife…"

"Jesse Carmichael," she shakes Busgang's hand with upbeat joy before she hugs onto Chuck's arm like a happily married couple.

"Wife?" Busgang cannot help but smile amusedly at the ridiculous covers the CIA always uses.

"Yea," Chuck nods gleefully. "I'm a huge fan of your work. The way you described the neural pathways of the brain… Just genius!" Chuck puts on an Emmy-worthy performance of being an enthralled fan.

"Well," Busgang smiles halfheartedly because he knows there is an ulterior motive for the one and only human Intersect to seek him out, "I'm glad you enjoyed my work. I think it would be most helpful to speak more in private," he leads Chuck and Jesse away from the guests he was with before as he gives them an apologetic smile. "What the hell is going on?" Busgang demands in a harsh whisper as they slip into an empty room.

"You're not in any danger," Chuck assures with a comforting tone as he takes over the direction of the conversation. "We just need your help."

"What do you need my help with?" Busgang queries with slight bitterness, but mostly curiosity.

Bryce and Sarah walk into the room and shut the door behind them.

"Agent Larkin?" Busgang furrows his brow.

"Dr. Busgang," Bryce sticks his hand out sincerely. "It's good to see you again."

"Don't take it hard on yourself if I don't return the gesture," Busgang narrows his eyes at the two agents he had met before.

"As I said, you're not in danger," Chuck reminds Busgang in a friendly tone. "We're looking for Orion."

"Why?" Busgang's eyebrows rise at hearing his old partner's name.

"As of October third, the Intersect computer has been destroyed and Orion is the only one who knows how to rebuild it."

"Destroyed?" Busgang flinches back in shock.

"A Fulcrum agent infiltrated the complex and blew it up," Bryce elaborates.

"How?"

"That's not important right now," Chuck states. "Do you know how to find Orion?"

"No, we never kept in contact after he disappeared five years ago," Busgang explains truthfully.

"Damn," Chuck sighs in frustration.

"I swear I've heard that name before," Bryce states as he racks his brain for the answer. It feels like it is on the tip of his tongue, but he can't quite place it.

"You know," Busgang muses with a tilted head towards Chuck, "you actually strike a resemblance to Orion, now that I think about it."

Like lightning brightening the sky or a match lighting ablaze, Bryce realizes where he has heard the name, Orion, before. "Holy shit! I know how Orion is," he states in utter disbelief and shock.

"What?" Everyone's heads swivel towards Bryce in curiosity.

"I… He's your dad, Chuck," Bryce explains as he remembers that conversation about getting Chuck kicked out of Stanford many years ago.

"What?" Chuck flinches back in utter disbelief. "Are you being serious? I haven't seen my dad in over ten years."

"I know, but back at Stanford. I got a call from someone and it was when I was first recruited by the CIA. I thought it was a test, but it was him," Bryce reveals. "He told me to call him Orion… and he wanted me to frame you for cheating… so you wouldn't become an agent and you wouldn't get the… It all makes sense now!" Bryce almost shouts as it all the puzzle pieces form together.

"You talked with my father?" Chuck questions with a hint of venom. "And you didn't tell me?" Chuck nearly shouts irately. "We're best friends and you know that I hadn't seen him in years and you met him and didn't say anything?" Chuck starts advancing towards Bryce in a bloodthirsty rage of anger.

"He wanted to get you expelled from Stanford," Bryce argues back as he puts his hands up in a placating manner. "I couldn't let him do that to you, buddy."

Everyone watches silently with wide eyes at the standoff between the two best friends and partners; the tension intensely palpable. No one has ever seen Chuck so angry before.

"But you could've at least introduced him to me!" Chuck retorts irately. "I spent my entire teenage years without him! I was raised by my sister and you spoke with him? Do you know how many questions I have? Why he left us, what happened to our mother, how he could just leave his kids! Ellie was only fifteen and I was thirteen!"

"I'm sorry," Bryce takes a tentative step backwards with his hands still up. "I told him that you deserved to know why he left and that he should meet you again, but he just felt too ashamed to see you again."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Chuck softens subtly at Bryce's explanation, but he still has an edge to his tone.

"I thought you'd be better off," Bryce explains truthfully. "If you knew that I met him before, you would've looked for him. You would've wasted your life on searching for him. I didn't want that for you. You're fine without him."

"You still should've told me," little by little, Chuck's anger and bitterness dissipates into remorse and disappointment in his father.

As the tension cools down and the anger mellows out, Dr. Busgang speaks up. "Your father is Orion?" He asks with a reverence to his voice. "Your father is one of the smartest men in the world."

"Now if only I can find him," Chuck grits his teeth.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you find him. He left no way to contact him," Busgang states with true regret and pity for the young agent.

"I understand," Chuck sighs in defeat. "I'm sorry for pulling you from the party. Director Graham may call on your help… just as a warning."

"With it gone, I'm sure he is fretting about rebuilding it," Busgang states with a hint of humor. "Good luck finding your father, Agent Carmichael," Busgang states with honesty as he firmly shakes Chuck's hand.

**October 13, 2004**

Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce are gathered on the couch in front of the laptop with Graham's scowling face on it. Jesse has left to see her family during her vacation, so she is no longer staying in the guest bedroom. "So let me get this straight," Graham pinches the bridge of his nose. "Orion is actually your father, Chuck?"

"According to Bryce, Orion is Stephen J. Bartowski," Chuck confirms.

"But we still have no way of contacting him?"

"Busgang said they never kept in contact and Orion went off grid five years ago."

"Damn," Graham sighs in frustration. "Orion is the key to rebuilding the Intersect. We need to find him."

"I haven't had contact with my father in about six years, and then was just a letter he would send on a birthday or holiday," Chuck explains with slight pity as he lowers his head. "What am I supposed to tell Ellie," he mumbles to himself.

"You tell your sister nothing," Graham demands in a bold tone. "She is unaware of your occupation and doesn't need to know."

"If you we do find him," Chuck states with conviction, "my sister deserves the truth from him: why he ran away."

"Very well," Graham gives in with a defeated tone. "I'll contact you when there is a new mission." He ends the feed unceremoniously.

The tension is still thick with the knowledge of Chuck's father being Orion. "Chuck?" Sarah asks softly and he turns to look at her. "Are you going to be alright?" Her tone is laced with concern and worry.

"I'm okay," Chuck sighs tiredly. "It's just a shock to the system, you know? My dad just up and vanished after promising us pancakes the next day. I didn't think I'd ever hear of him again. But now he is the man we're looking for. The man who built the Intersect."

"I swear I was only looking out for you, Chuck," Bryce declares in an honest remorseful tone.

"I know," Chuck mumbles dejectedly as he drops his head in disappointment towards his father.

Sarah watches the exhausted form of Chuck with pity and remorse. She hates seeing Chuck despondent, but this new revelation has stirred up hatred, anger, sadness, and disappointment. "I'm sure he had a good reason," Sarah affirms with a soothing tone as she just wants Chuck to be happy again.

"Thank you, Sarah," Chuck smiles thinly at her; his spirits raised by her words.

Sarah gently rests her head on his shoulder as they sit in comfortable silence while gazing through the blank laptop screen.

**Please review.**


	17. The Bane of Chuck's Existence

**For those dedicated readers, thank you for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites. It really is special that this many people care about my work, because my grade school teachers couldn't care less… and I was just trying to pass, but with writing this, I want to succeed. I want to exceed your expectations and I'm honored that that you take the time in your day to read my stories.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**October 23, 2004**

Sarah rolls her eyes for what seems like the thousandth time this night alone. "I'm not getting onto the stripper pole and dancing," Sarah deadpans to her red-headed friend. The club's atmosphere is thumping with loud music and the floor is littered with patrons dancing carelessly while there are multiple perched strip poles placed varying throughout the club floor.

"Oh come on," Carina whines with a mock pout. "Don't be such a prude. All the guys will want you then."

"Who said I wanted a guy?" Sarah queries with bitterness.

"Oh no," Carina's jaw drops in utter shock. "You're a lesb—"

"No, I'm not," Sarah deadpans flatly. "Just because I don't want to take a guy home with me doesn't make me a lesbian."

"Who said you were taking them home?" Carina conjectures with a devious tone. "They'll be taking you home."

"You're ridiculous," Sarah shakes her head with a mirthful grin.

"At least I'm not boring," Carina smiles as she clinks her cocktail glass with Sarah's.

"Never," Sarah agrees as she takes a sip of her drink. "Have you spoken to Zondra since?"

"Nope, I don't even know where she's stationed," Carina replies.

"I think she's working in the Middle East."

"Well, she's definitely got the complexion," Carina jokes with a loud laugh that Sarah joins in on.

As they both calm down from the lighthearted joke, Sarah sincerely states, "I hope it's alright that I invited my partners."

"Partners?" Carina's grin turns mischievous and curious. "Spill."

"Spill what?" Sarah grins amusedly at her friend's antics. "It's just Chuck and Bryce."

"Two men?" Carina smirks deviously. "And here I thought you weren't getting enough of that in your life."

"We're just partners," Sarah suppresses a disbelieving chuckle as she tries to stifle her thousand and first eye roll of the night.

"Sure," Carina relents suspiciously about Sarah's status with her partners. "Is this the Chuck you like?"

"What Chuck I like?" Sarah questions ignorantly.

"The one who helped us capture Gaez and Amy?"

"Oh, yes, this is the same Chuck," Sarah responds casually.

"Since you just admitted you like Chuck, maybe I can have your other partner," Carina smirks victoriously at the estranged look on Sarah's face after getting caught for indirectly saying she likes Chuck. "What was his name…? Bruce?"

"No," Sarah demands as she shakes her head with narrowed eyes. "Just… just don't be a complete slut when you meet them," Sarah demands airily.

"Who? Me?" Carina covers her heart in mock offense.

Sarah notices Chuck's brown curly hair over the top of the crowd because he is so tall. "There they are," Sarah raises a hand over the crowd of people and waves it erratically.

Chuck and Bryce are walking side by side as Bryce's eyes constantly drift off to the next closest female. Chuck sees a hand raised over the crowd and he follows it down to the beautiful blonde smiling ecstatically. "There's Sarah," Chuck lightly taps Bryce on the arm before they walk towards her.

As they get closer, the crowd parts like the Red Sea and Chuck's eyes fall on Sarah's acquaintance. He freezes in shock a few feet from the two girls; his eyes fixated on the familiar redhead.

"Isn't that…" Bryce furrows his brow as he has seen the redhead before.

"Maria?" Chuck squeaks out in complete shock.

Carina smirks naughtily as she remembers the tall nerd that she spent a night courting… three times.

"Maria?" Sarah furrows her brow as she has never heard that name before. "Did you just…?" She trails off thinking that he flashed.

"I didn't have to," Chuck responds as he slowly breaks out of his stupor and walks up to the redhead he had seduced during training. "Maria? What the hell?"

"It's Carina," the redhead smiles at Chuck as she walks up to the stunned nerd.

"Wait, what are you doing here?" Chuck asks with a furrowed brow before the realization hits. "You're a spy?" He huffs out in utter surprise.

"Just announce it to the whole world, Chuck," Carina rolls her eyes in a sarcastic tone.

"Wait," Sarah stops all of them. "You guys know each other?"

"Your Chuck is here is quite the stud… in bed," Carina grins predatorily with a glance at Sarah.

"You…" Sarah fumbles over her words in utter shock as she looks at Carina. "You…" she glances at Chuck. "What? How?" Her brow then furrows deeply. "When?"

"Chuck and I met a while back," Carina hugs onto Chuck's side and sensually rubs his chest as he is frozen in place and a deep crimson blush rises up the features of his face. "He seduced me… well, more like tried, but I wasn't going to say no."

"Wait, what?" Chuck shoots out of his frozen trance at her words. "What do you mean I *tried* to seduce you? I did!"

"Oh come on, Chuckles," Carina rolls her eyes as she slides her hand between the buttons of his dress shirt to feel his bare chest. "You think that would've worked on anyone? No offense, but it was kind of pathetic."

"So you just did it out of pity?" Chuck's eyes darken in anger as he bitterly questions. He fumbles with her wrist as he forcefully pulls her hand out from under his shirt.

"Not quite," Carina shrugs as if she doesn't realize the pain she accidentally caused Chuck. Everything he did in training, he thought was strictly him, and to find out he didn't seduce her disappoints him because it was a big turning point in his confidence. He was tricked, connived, and deceived. "I was doing it as a favor. Roan told me that he had a recruit who needed a little *extra* motivation, and I thought you were pretty cute… so I said yes. And that's what I did… Three times," Carina flashes a proud grin.

"So, I never seduced you?" Chuck realizes what this means. His tone falls somber and he drops his head. "It was all planned out? I never actually deserved to graduate," he mumbles dejectedly to himself.

"Come on," Carina grabs his attention as she sees how down he is about such a silly thing, "lighten up! It is just a technique Roan uses on the rarer recruits such as yourself. It worked, didn't it? You passed," Carina explains honestly with slight annoyance that he is beating himself up over it.

"I guess," he mumbles dejectedly.

"It's just a game I have with Roan. His recruits get the confidence they need to seduce a woman and he slips them three condoms so I get three rounds in bed," Carina smiles deviously. "And those were three damn good rounds."

"So you guys had a one night stand?" Sarah questions with slight bitterness. She didn't think Chuck was someone who indulged in one night stands. And the men Carina sleeps with are usually sleazier and just want the single night of pleasure and to then move on; and that doesn't seem like Chuck's mentality at all.

"It was over six months ago," Chuck explains with slight sorrow. It is disheartening to know that he never actually seduced a woman as beautiful as Carina. "It was seduction class. And as *Carina* just mentioned, I was tricked into it," Chuck stresses with flaring anger over the hidden agony.

"Oh my god," Carina huffs impatiently at all these depressing feelings going around. "You two kids can have each other," Carina pushes them together, slips around them, and moves on to Bryce. "Hi, I'm Carina," she puts her hand out with a seductive smile. _He's a looker,_ Carina muses happily.

"Bryce," Bryce shakes Carina's hand with a charming smile.

"Would you like to dance?" Carina asks as she starts pulling him onto the dance floor before she gets his consent.

"Sure," Bryce grins widely as he is pulled into the crowd of dancers and the beautiful redhead starts grinding up against him.

Chuck and Sarah finally separate themselves and Chuck is still annoyed and dejected, while Sarah blushes slightly at how close they were a second ago; her breasts having just been pressed into his chest. "Hi, Chuck," Sarah offers him a sheepish smile. She did not expect this to be how the night started out.

"Hi," he tries to smile, but it just comes off as contrived and pained.

Sarah hates seeing Chuck depressed and his one downfall is that he is too hard on himself. He is blaming himself for what happened, when he had no choice in the matter because he was conned; something Sarah is very familiar with. "Chuck," she smiles sincerely, "don't worry about it." She understands that Roan and Carina had set him up… and the idea is actually quite genius, but someone as honest as Chuck would suffer like he is if they found out. A former con artist, such as herself, can really appreciate the ingenuity behind Roan and Carina's strategy.

"But I shouldn't have passed," Chuck replies sadly. "I don't deserve to be a spy."

"Hey!" Sarah demands his attention in a commanding yell. "You are a great spy… the best spy I've ever worked with," she declares with pure conviction. "Who cares if you thought you seduced Carina? You passed fairly and I couldn't ask for a better partner."

"Really?" Chuck smiles thinly as his spirits are raised by the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Yes," Sarah smiles as she sees his lips slowly turning into a large smile that she always enjoys seeing. "Now, if you want to be my partner, you need to know that I love to dance so let's go," she takes his hand and leads him to the crowded dance floor; a brilliant smile on his face the entire time because he has the gorgeous blonde dancing with him.

**October 24, 2004**

Sarah, Chuck, Carina, and Bryce are gathered in front of the laptop screen in the guys' apartment. Graham's scowling face is displayed on the screen. "The DEA needs our help with this one, so Agent Miller is going to brief you," Graham explains.

"Thank you, sir," Carina takes over the briefing with expertise. "This man," Carina lifts an image of a Caucasian man with dark hair and dark eyes, "Tony 'Scarface' Marchelli…"

Chuck feels the familiar tingle of a flash.

_A mound of white powder on a desk._

_Driver's License of Tony Marchelli._

_Born December 9, 1963 in Miami, Florida._

_DEA Family Tree board with all relatives crossed out._

_Suspected for distribution of cocaine and firearms._

_A picture of him surrounded by three women in bikinis._

_A mound of white powder on a desk._

"Wow," Chuck drawls incredulously. "He's really taken the Scarface thing to heart, huh?"

"Yea," Carina deadpans as she picks up another file from the table. "He's suspected as the main supplier of cocaine in Miami and is looking to expand."

"Does that mean we're going to Miami?" Chuck asks with a hopeful grin playing on his lips. "I've never been to Miami."

"No," Graham speaks up in a bold tone. "Marchelli is in D.C. for an unknown reason."

"He's going to be staying at the St. Augustine hotel," Carina explains; her careless attitude replaced with seriousness and determination.

"And drugs aren't the only thing he indulges in," Chuck states disappointedly after what he's learned from his flash.

"Yes, he has a fancy for beautiful women," Carina explains with a small smirk. "That's where Walker and I come in."

"You're going to seduce him," Chuck states flatly. Seduction is quickly becoming the bane of his existence. Sarah notices the disgust that goes hand in hand with seduction cross Chuck's face.

"For long enough that you two," Carina points to the two men, "can sneak into his hotel room and find any intel you can on why he is in D.C."

"I've already taken the liberty of booking you the hotel suite directly above Marchelli's suite," Graham explains. "You will climb down from the balcony into his room when Agents Walker and Miller give you the all clear."

"Yes, sir," both men nod, but Chuck does it a little more reluctantly and Graham ends the feed.

"Can't bad guys have a normal hobby like model airplanes or something?" Chuck questions hopelessly.

"That's why they're called *bad* guys," Bryce deadpans with a small grin.

"It's not like you have to rub up all over him," Carina states matter-of-factly.

Chuck shivers at the thought of Sarah having to 'get comfortable' with this guy, let alone him having to rub up against a man.

"Exactly," Carina agrees haughtily as she sees Chuck shiver.

**October 25, 2004**

A silky long leg plants itself on top of the bed. Sarah straps a barrage of throwing knives along the highest point of her right thigh because she doesn't want to be caught by a wandering hand that almost all marks seem to have. Sarah lowers her long naked leg and walks up to her bathroom mirror where five feet, ten inches of tan Swedish skin is standing in skimpy black panties and a nearly transparent corset. Carina is applying dark red lipstick; one of the turn-ons of the mark that was in the dossier. Sarah, in her thin black panties with a tiny button along the front and her grey bra with an elegant flower design along the rim, powders her cheeks with the blush.

"So you and Chuck?" Carina conjectures casually. "How's that going?"

"Chuck and I are only partners," Sarah replies with venom on her tongue. "Why does everything always have to be about sex?"

Carina, undeterred by Sarah's outburst, continues on. "But you've at least thought about it, right?" Carina doesn't even wait for Sarah to object as she keeps steamrolling on, "I mean you're going to have to make a decision sooner or later."

"There is no decision because none of us are dating!" Sarah nearly screams at Carina's incessant nagging.

"But you've at least tested the waters, right?"

"What?" Sarah furrows her brow before realizing what Carina is talking about. "No!"

"You haven't?" Carina acts like it is a crime on nature. "I'll do it for you. Talk to me tomorrow and I'll tell you who is better."

"Don't… and just drop it," Sarah demands ferociously. "Okay?"

"Fine, fine," Carina puts her hands up in surrender. "I didn't mean to get your panties all up in a twist."

"You don't get it, do you?" Sarah huffs in agitation. "You don't realize how much you affect people. You have no regard for other people. Take Chuck for example, you tricked him into having sex just because you wanted it. You can't expect everyone to bend to your will. You need to realize the magnitude of your actions."

"It was only sex," Carina rolls her eyes like it is such a minuscule thing.

"Not to him!" Sarah nearly shouts. "Not everyone enjoys casual sex like you, Carina," Sarah pauses as she calms herself down with a few steady breaths, "you're my friend, but you need to think about the consequences of your actions. You have to think about the other people you're affecting. Not just you."

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Carina confesses in a surprisingly humble tone. "I know I just live in the moment, but every mission can be our last. We don't have the luxury of thinking about our future like normal people."

"I know," Sarah whispers as she drops her head. "But… just try to be more considerate please… for me," Sarah encourages with a comforting hand on Carina's shoulder.

"You know I'm not the slut everyone makes me out to be," Carina declares with slight reserve. "Just because I like sex doesn't mean I'm some kind of whore."

"I know," Sarah affirms truthfully. "I've never thought of you that way."

"I don't just sleep with anyone," Carina continues as she has never spoken this openly before and is on a roll now. She's never confessed this to anyone, but she trusts Sarah more than anyone she's ever met. "You think I want to jump into bed with just anyone? I only help Roan because he trusts that the recruits are respectful. And I only do it for this country," Carina drops her head shamefully, "or at least that's what they tell me." She looks back into her only friend's dazzling blue eyes as she confesses emotionally, "I don't like doing it. I hate it."

"Then don't do it," Sarah whispers humbly. "The DEA can't force you to sleep with anyone. I don't sleep with marks. I chose not to and the CIA respects that."

"Maybe you're right," Carina nods with a small smile at Sarah. "I'm getting sick of sleeping with people I don't know or trust."

Sarah smiles at her friend. She's never seen her friend so vulnerable and open, but it is a nice change of pace from the overly sexual persona she uses as a defense mechanism. "Just tell the DEA that you're done jumping into bed with enemies. You're not just some tool they can use. You're a person and you're my friend," Sarah states confidently in encouragement.

"Thanks, Sarah," Carina smiles at her only friend in the spy business. "You've changed since the last time I saw you, but in a good way." Carina smiles mirthfully, "maybe I need to get two male partners too."

"Shut up," Sarah jabs Carina in the side with her elbow in a playful manner.

"So, what dress are you wearing?" Carina asks casually as just two friends talking as if the previous conversation never happened.

"The blue backless dress," Sarah responds as she hands Carina the makeup brush.

"That's a sexy one," Carina muses with a grin. "I'm going with a little black number that really accentuates my breasts." The dossier explained the mark has an obsession with women's chests.

"Carina," Sarah states gravely serious, "we just need to lead him on for long enough." Sarah knows how recklessly impulsive Carina is and she could easily jeopardize the mission.

"I know what I'm doing, Walker," Carina declares dismissively.

**October 25, 2004**

Chuck and Bryce are in the hotel room situated just above Marchelli's. They are both in full black BDU outfits designed for flexibility and are extremely lightweight. "You think the girls get dressed together?" Bryce jokes with a devious grin.

"I don't know," Chuck shrugs as he makes sure his tranquilizer pistol is loaded.

"I wonder if they help put each other's clothes on," Bryce imagines Sarah and Carina both nude as Carina slowly bends forward to slide Sarah's panties up. Then Sarah helps Carina with her bra as she gently clasps it behind her back.

"Stop it," Chuck deadpans as he sees Bryce's far-off look. "What's wrong with you?"

"A man can dream," Bryce argues with a smirk. "Come on, you're not imagining them showering together? It saves time," Bryce adds like it is a perfectly justifiable reason.

"And we're done here," Chuck demands with a disbelieving smile; his own mind conjuring up thoughts of Sarah and Carina 'helping' each other in the shower. _Dammit Bryce, now I'm a pervert too,_ Chuck scolds agitatedly. _Bryce will be Bryce_; Chuck drops his head into his hand and shakes it.

**October 25, 2004**

Chuck and Bryce are watching the camera feeds they planted throughout the hotel bar, the hallways outside of Marchelli's suite, and the elevators. Carina and Sarah are acting like two ditzy friends looking to get drunk and have a good time. The instant Marchelli leaves his suite, Chuck chirps on the two women's earpieces, "Scarface is on the move," he explains. "He just left his suite. There are two guards outside his room and one following him."

"You're really going to call him Scarface?" Carina asks incredulously.

"What can I say, it's catchy," Chuck replies mirthfully.

Sarah lets out a tiny giggle and smiles at Carina as she thinks about Chuck's comedic relief. It helps in times of missions like these because no one enjoys seducing, not even Carina.

"Whatever," Carina shakes her head.

"He's in the elevator now," Chuck updates the women while Bryce latches a pulley system to the railing of the balcony.

"Roger that," Sarah responds as she gets into character.

"I got the pulleys ready," Bryce informs Chuck as he pulls a harness over his suit.

"Good," Chuck nods and looks back at the bugs in the hotel. "He's approaching the bar now… and he just found a seat on the couch in the corner."

"We see him," Sarah informs Chuck. "Now hurry up, boys."

"Roger that," Chuck fits in his earpiece and quickly pulls a harness around his waist.

"Damn," Bryce grunts in annoyance as he tries to maneuver his crotch into a more comfortable position, "this thing is a complete nutcracker."

"Shut up and repel," Chuck pushes Bryce to the balcony.

Bryce hooks his carabiner to the tough black rope and he looks down over the balcony. "I hope you're not afraid of heights," he quips knowing full well Chuck is slightly acrophobic.

"Why?" Chuck squeaks out weakly as he peers over the edge. "Oh," his stomach drops and he starts to turn pale. They are six floors up from the ground level. A fall from that high would surely kill him, unless there was a pool or a cabana bed to break his fall.

"Just don't look down," Bryce jokes as he flips over the railing.

"We're going down!" Chuck cries in an annoyed tone.

"I know," Bryce disappears over the balcony ledge and Chuck latches his carabiner onto the same rope. Bryce lands on the balcony of Marchelli's hotel suite and presses his microphone on as he unlatches his carabiner. "You're clear to come down now," a hint of amusement seeps into his tone.

"What if I don't want to?" Chuck replies as he looks over again. He reluctantly peels over the ledge and gently lowers himself headfirst down the rope until he sees Bryce standing there with a smirk; except upside down so it looks like a frown.

"If you're expecting a Spider-Man kiss, then I'm sorry," Bryce quips as he helps pull Chuck onto the balcony.

"Ha, ha," Chuck deadpans humorlessly. "Real funny. Let's just get in there and find what we need to find as quick as possible."

Bryce pulls the sliding balcony door open with ease, "ta-da," he drawls in a tone of wonderment. "Someone forgot to lock their balcony."

"It's not every day people sneak into your hotel room by your balcony," Chuck quips as they both step in and scan the room. Chuck's eyes immediately fall on the laptop neatly resting on the nightstand. "I'll take the computer."

"What a surprise," Bryce rolls his eyes with sarcasm.

Sarah and Carina both approach Marchelli with their nearly empty martini glasses; the ditzy persona exuding from their pores. Sarah is in a sexy midnight blue dress that scoops all the way to the small of her back while the front ends at the top of her cleavage and is held by two spindled straps over her shoulders. The dress forms to her every curve to accentuate her thin hips and amazing figure while revealing a healthy amount of leg as it ends at her mid-thighs. She is wearing large black circular earrings that hang from her ears, the deep crimson lipstick, and smoky shadows around her eyes to give her an enigmatic appearance. Her golden hair is long and wavy with extensions that cause it to hang just above the top of her chest.

Carina is in a thin black strapless cocktail dress that is very tight around the hips and cuts off just above her mid-thighs. Her breasts are pressed together by the tight dress to accentuate her cleavage. Her brownish-red hair is straight and long as it freely dangles just above her cleavage. Her Icy blue eyes are framed by black eyeliner and dark shadows while her lips are darkened by the same lipstick as Sarah's.

Marchelli's eyes catch the supermodels and a small predatory grin develops on his face as he winks at them. The two women giggle playfully as if they are gossiping about him winking at them and they sit down on the circular backless couch across from him; Sarah on his right and Carina on his left.

"Hi," Carina perkily greets with a carefree smile.

"Well hello, girls," Marchelli replies with a confident tone.

"I'm Carina," the redhead happily smiles as she pats Marchelli on the thigh.

"Ah…" Marchelli drawls in a tone of reverence. "The name suits you because you are beautiful."

"Thank you," Carina giggles like a little school girl.

"And I'm Sarah," the blonde whispers into his ear causing shivers down his body.

"You girls can call me Tony," he smiles charmingly as he puts a hand on each of the girls' thigh.

"Okay, Tony," Carina nods excitedly while hiding the disgusted expression wanted to form on her face.

"So, you girls looking for a good time?"

"Yep," Sarah perks up with a bright smile. "We're best friends and love a little adventure."

"A lot of adventure," Carina corrects with a seductive smirk towards Marchelli.

Marchelli's gaze shifts from the blonde to the redhead in less than a second. "What kind of adventure?" He questions with a hopeful tone.

"What'd you have in mind?" Sarah asks with feigned curiosity and intrigue; shifting the man's gaze back to her.

"Just a little fun," his hand slowly slides up both girls' thighs. "You girls are so sexy," he smiles charmingly at them.

"Really?" Sarah feigns surprise as she giggles and slides his hand back down to her knee. She even forces herself to blush while keeping the bile down.

"What would you do to us?" Carina whispers naughtily into his ear.

Sarah frowns at overhearing Carina's words. _This is gonna get ugly,_ Sarah repulsively muses while plastering on a fake smile.

"Well…" Marchelli smiles at the two girls. "First, I would take you both to my room." He starts pushing himself into a standing position but Carina and Sarah both put a hand on his chest and push him back into his seat. Marchelli is surprised by their forcefulness.

"I'd love to imagine what you're gonna do to us," Carina whispers with the same seductive tone as she walks her fingers up his thigh.

"Yes!" Sarah realizes where Carina is going with this and plays along flawlessly. "What are you going to do next?"

"Well, then I'd have you both get out of all those restraining clothes," he smirks at Sarah before turning his smirk to Carina.

"Uh huh," Carina nods enthusiastically. "Then what?"

"Then I'd have you two girls kiss," he explains with a devious smile.

"You mean like this," Carina leans over and pulls Sarah's lips to hers.

Sarah doesn't even have time to roll her eyes in annoyance as she needs to play this right, so she leans forward and they plant a quick peck on each other's lips.

"Like that?" Carina asks with a hopeful tone.

"Like that but more," he explains with awe at seeing the two gorgeous girls' lips meet. "Where's the passion?"

"Oh, there's passion," Carina assures with a seductive grin as she slides tightly next to Sarah and leans in towards her. Sarah frowns with wide enraged eyes at Carina's advances. This is the downside of working with Carina: you never know what she is going to do next. Sarah knows resistance is futile so she throws on her ditzy persona and happily leans into Carina's mouth.

Carina's hand slides up Sarah's thigh and Sarah feels her fingers reach the hem of her panties, but she cannot risk blowing the mission by getting angry with Carina. Their lips press but then their mouths open and their tongues duel before the man's wondered eyes. Carina's other hand wraps around the back of Sarah's head and holds her tight to Carina's lips. Sarah gently caresses Carina's right cheek to make it look like she is enjoying it. _The longer I kiss Carina, the less likely I'll have to kiss the mark,_ Sarah thinks optimistically. The mark's hand gently pets Carina's thigh as he watches with euphoric arousal.

After nearly half a minute of making out, the girls separate their lips. "Like that?" Sarah asks innocently as she wipes a smear of dark red lipstick off of her mouth; not sure if it is hers or Carina's.

"Just like that," Marchelli assures with an awed smile.

"And then what?" Carina asks eagerly as she looks back at Marchelli.

"Then I'd spank them," Bryce replies after the crazy conversation he stirred up about having a threesome with Sarah and Carina.

"Then you'd spank them?" Chuck asks incredulously as he opens up a large suitcase that houses a Colt AR-15 Assault Rifle with an M203 Grenade Launcher attachment inside Marchelli's hotel suite. The laptop was clean and didn't have anything except for an astounding forty-seven pornographic websites all bookmarked on his browser. "Really? You have a sick mind."

"You've never fantasized about spanking a girl?" Bryce asks in disbelief. "Why, what would you do?"

"Well, first of all, I wouldn't think about a threesome with Carina and Sarah," Chuck replies as he delicately lifts the gun out of the foam protective stencil.

"Don't lie," Bryce scoffs. "Any warm blooded male would think about the two of them together."

"Damn," Chuck drawls in a whistle as he pulls the foam out of the case and finds twelve kilos of cocaine.

"What is it?" Bryce turns around to see Chuck holding the AR-15 at his hip.

Chuck, in his best Cuban accent, states, "say hello to my little friend."

"Whoa," Bryce walks up to Chuck with intrigue at the full replica of the gun Tony Montana used in the end of Scarface. "That is sick!"

Bryce's words are lost on Chuck as he feels the tingle of a flash as he looks down at the carry handle of the rifle.

_A disgustingly messy cheeseburger dripping onto a paper plate._

_A black USB device._

_Various bank accounts._

_A disgustingly messy cheeseburger dripping onto a paper plate._

"Did you just flash?" Bryce whispers conspiratorially in surprise.

"Yea," Chuck whispers back as he removes the hidden device that looks like just another part of the gun. "There's a USB device on here that has bank accounts of numerous drug traffickers."

"That's what we needed," Bryce whispers back; finally realizing that they are whispering. "Why are we whispering?" He whispers in curiosity.

"Don't know," Chuck whispers back, "but I also found like a dozen kilos of cocaine too.

"Damn, that's a lot," Bryce whispers in awe.

"I know," Chuck replies before pulling his watch to his face and turning on his microphone. "Sarah, Carina, I think we found the intel we're looking for. We'll be out of his room in two minutes." Chuck looks up at Bryce, "let's go… and put everything back where you found it." Chuck pockets the small device and puts the gun back into its case.

"Can we get these girls another drink?" Marchelli winks at the waitress.

"Why, certainly," she plasters on a fake smile towards Marchelli before leaving.

"You really know how to pamper a girl," Sarah giggles adorably.

"Yea, I knew something was missing from this party," Carina gingerly plays with her empty martini glass.

"Are you sure you girls don't want to continue the party upstairs in my room?" He sultrily hints as he puts a hand on each of their thigh. "I have something a little more potent than alcohol," he whispers conspiratorially.

"That does sound like a good idea," Sarah responds as she stands up, letting his hand fall off her thigh. She gives her hand out to Carina and the redhead happily takes it. As Carina stands up tall, Sarah's phone rings. "Oh! That's me," she lets out a tiny innocuous chuckle as she fishes the phone from her purse. She pulls the phone out and answers it, "hello?"

"Hey, it's Chuck. I thought maybe you could use the phone call as a way to get out of there," Chuck replies. "We're back in our room and we found what we needed."

"What's that?" Sarah feigns complete surprise.

"The coast is clear," Chuck reiterates with a confused tone.

"He just left you?" Sarah acts appalled.

"What?" Chuck flinches back and narrows his eyes before realizing where Sarah is going with this. "Oh, right," he sheepishly responds. _She's just acting_, Chuck tells himself.

"We'll be there in ten minutes!" Sarah ends the call and pockets her phone.

"What's wrong?" Carina asks with fake anxiety.

"Charlotte's boyfriend just dumped her," Sarah explains and turns to Marchelli. "I'm so sorry," she uses her adorable pout that no one could possibly resist. "Our friend needs us. Maybe we can continue this another time." Before Marchelli could process the situation, Sarah pulls Carina and vanishes from the bar, leaving Marchelli with a dumbfounded expression.

"Who the hell is Charlotte?" Carina demands in the elevator.

"No one, but it worked, didn't it?" Sarah smiles smugly as they get to the sixth floor.

A knock on Chuck and Bryce's door breaks them from their engrossed stares on the computer monitor. Bryce walks over and answers the door, "hey ladies."

"Hey, Bryce," Sarah smiles as she walks into the room to see Chuck absorbed into his computer monitor. "Hey, Chuck. That was a good idea with the phone call."

"Thanks," Chuck turns to give her a small smile when he sees her elaborately sexy outfit and freezes for an estimated two point eight six seconds before turning back to the monitor. "I think you can say the mission was a success," he quips with a large smile as he looks back at the rest of the spies in the room.

"What'd you find?" Carina asks as everyone hovers over the computer screen.

"Well, besides the dozen kilos of cocaine in his gun case, it looks like we got all his contacts and drug runners," Chuck replies proudly. "Including some known drug dealers in D.C."

"Way to go Chucky," Carina runs her hand through his curly hair and caresses his cheek. Chuck flinches back and Carina frowns at him. "You alright, Chuck?"

"Yea, sorry," Chuck provides her with a tranquil grin. "Just have a headache."

Sarah remembers Chuck saying something about the Intersect causing him headaches and knows he must've flashed on a lot of the names on the list. "I'll go get you some Advil, "Sarah states as she gives him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Sarah," Chuck nods graciously a she disappears into the bathroom to get him the pills and a glass of water.

**October 25, 2004**

"How'd the mission turn out?" Graham asks curiously as everyone gathers around the laptop screen in the guy's apartment.

"Completely successful," Bryce answers proudly. "We found a device with the names and accounts of all of Marchelli's contacts and drug runners."

"There are some big names in there," Chuck adds on after remembering flashing multiple times and the headache that went along with it.

"Good work team," Graham grins subtly with pride as he looks upon the DEA agent. "Your bosses should be pleased… and don't say the CIA never helped them out."

"Yes, sir," Carina nods vehemently. "We have enough evidence to take him down along with all his contacts."

"That's what I like to hear. You are dismissed," Graham ends the feed.

"At least that was kind of like a goodbye," Chuck shrugs as he falls into the back of the couch.

"Sarah," Carina speaks up, "I don't have to report to my bosses until tomorrow. You want go out and have some fun? Maybe some clubbing?"

"And get felt up by more disgusting men?" Sarah quirks an eyebrow sarcastically. "No thank you, I'm good here."

"Suit yourself," Carina looks upon the men. "How 'bout you guys?"

"I'm pretty tired after the mission," Chuck yawns as he scratches the back of his head. "Plus, the club scene isn't really my thing."

"You're boring," Carina declares flatly the instant Chuck finishes his explanation. "Bryce, please don't be a pussy like these two girls…"

"Hey!" Chuck protests, but everyone just chuckles.

"Let's go out. I know a great nightclub that I've been dying to try," Carina pouts as she tugs on his arm adorably like a child tugging on her dad's arm because she wants to get some ice cream.

"Fine," Bryce agrees with a shrug. "Let me just get dressed real quick."

"Finally someone here doesn't live in Boresville," Carina sighs overly dramatic as she rolls her eyes.

**October 25, 2004**

Sarah went home almost immediately after Carina and Bryce left to go clubbing. Chuck wasn't lying when he said he was tired, because he is, but he also has something else he needs to do. He opens the box he got from Ellie not even two days ago. Ellie was skeptical at first. Why would someone want their dad's old junk? But he insisted he needed it and she relented because it was just taking up space anyways. Chuck searches through the envelope of old photos within the box that he hasn't touched since moving it out of their Encino home. He skims through each one until he stops suddenly as his heart wrenches in reminiscing.

He gently rubs his thumb across the family photo of Chuck at six years old and Ellie at eight years old. Chuck is nestled in his father's arms while Ellie is standing directly in front of their mother. The smiles on their faces are priceless and Chuck remembers taking the group photo as if it was yesterday. He misses them, no matter how much they've hurt him in leaving; his mother's storytelling about the Frost Queen and her delicious lemon bars, his father's quirky obsession with wanting to watch Tron with Chuck every time it was on television, his eccentric collection of computer monitors, and his great advice at the perfect times.

"Why did you guys leave us?" Chuck whispers to the picture sadly. "Where are you guys?"

He continues through all the images, but doesn't find anything of importance to his sub-mission. He looks into the box and finds a few pages of schematics for helix-shaped plasma crystals. Chuck's eyes flutter after the tingle in the back of his head.

_A scrunched up string tied at its ends._

_Small electrically charged ionized gases._

_Hundreds of fluorescent lamps._

_PLATO Plasma video display._

_A scrunched up string tied at its ends._

"He designed the plasma television?" Chuck muses in wonderment. He shakes off the flash and continues so search, but finds nothing but useless junk in the box. "Dammit, Dad," Chuck sighs heavily with raw emotions, "I'm going to find you and you're going to answer my questions."

**I hope Carina wasn't too out of character for you. I've never seen her as the whore they make her out on the show, so I feel like she uses sex mostly as a defense mechanism to keep people from getting close. And no, you did not imagine reading that Sarah and Carina were making out… because they totally were.**

**Please review.**


	18. May The Best Man Win

**Thanks for the reviews so far. They are magnificently awesome and I am blessed that you'd help me improve this story. I hat everyone who went to Chuckfest because they just experienced my dreams and I didn't. Finally, any mistakes you see here are all me and due to the fact that it is 5am, I'm still drunk, and I was kicked out of a casino for no apparent reason. Here we go…**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**October 26, 2004**

Sarah walks out of her bedroom in a shirt and sweatpants as she rounds the hallway into the kitchen to see her friend Carina sipping on coffee. "It was good seeing you again, Carina," Sarah smiles at her friend who came over this morning before leaving.

"You too," Carina responds nonchalantly as she stands up. Sarah is shocked when Carina pulls her into a hug. "Thanks, Sarah," Carina whispers humbly. "It's always nice to have a friend in this world."

Sarah hugs back and happily responds, "It is nice to know you have people who care about you."

"It is," Carina breaks the hug and picks up her bag. "Kommer sakna dig, kompis," Carina states in Swedish.

"Pamiętaj, co mówiliśmy o," Sarah responds in Polish.

"I will," Carina smiles at her friend. "Oh, by the way," Carina stops at the front door with a salacious smirk, "your boy, Chuck, is just a little better."

Sarah furrows her brow before realizing what Carina is talking about. "You didn't!" Sarah shouts in offense.

Carina just smiles cryptically as she leaves the apartment.

**November 1, 2004**

Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce are convening in Graham's office. Graham is sitting across from them with his fingers interlaced in front of him and on the desk. "Great job with Marchelli," Graham starts. "The DEA gives its gratitude."

"They're welcome," Bryce replies with a nod.

"Is there any word on my Dad?" Chuck asks anxiously.

"I'm sorry, Chuck," Graham states humbly, "but nothing has turned up yet. Orion is a master with computers. The NSA tried going old school once while looking for him by using non-electronic communications, but they still failed to find his location."

"Okay," Chuck sighs despondently. He's wanted to see his father since finding out he is Orion.

"Don't worry, we'll find him, Chuck," Sarah assures him with a comforting hand on his forearm.

"Thanks," he smiles thinly at her.

"What's our mission?" Bryce asks curiously.

"We believe Fulcrum is trying to rebuild the Intersect," Graham explains gravely.

"But I thought my dad was the only one who could?" Chuck questions.

"It's true Orion was the biggest factor in creating a working Intersect," Graham elaborates honestly, "but we believe Fulcrum has been using one of the other technicians of the original Intersect to help rebuild it."

"How many technicians were there?" Chuck asks curiously. He now counts three with Orion, Busgang, and this new technician who is working with Fulcrum.

"We believe there were three of them," Graham explains. "He goes by the codename, Serpens…"

Chuck's eyelids flutter slightly as he feels a flash move through his brain.

_A winged mythological dragon breathing fire._

_A man in his early fifties with male pattern baldness, brown hair, and bags under his brown eyes._

_The man meeting a North Korean man and shaking hands over exchanging a folder._

_A winged mythological dragon breathing fire._

"Um… wow," Chuck shakes his head. "It looks like he's been secretly giving information to the North Koreans."

"Did you get his name?" Graham queries with hope brimming from his tone.

"No," Chuck shakes his head apologetically, "but I saw a grainy image of him."

"Damn," Graham sighs as he massages his brow. "We'll need to keep looking for him, but for now, I need you to infiltrate a Fulcrum base and recover this device," Graham shows them an image of a small circular device, "the Cipher."

"What is it?" Bryce asks curiously.

"You can think of it as the brains behind the Intersect," Graham explains. "We believe Serpens used Orion's original ideas to rebuild it and we cannot let Fulcrum acquire an Intersect."

"We'll recover it," Sarah encourages with a nod.

**November 3, 2004**

Bryce stifles a cough because of the dusty ventilation duct he and Sarah are crawling through. That is his only gripe with the situation because right now he has a clear view of Sarah's perfect ass in her thin black outfit. They venture deeper into the air duct, when Sarah whispers into her microphone, "Chuck, where to next?"

"You're going to take a left," Chuck replies as he is looking at blueprints of the building's ventilation system. "Then a right about fifteen feet down."

"Thanks, Chuck," Sarah replies with a quick smile as she follows his orders and turns down the air duct. After another minute, Sarah finds herself at a fork between going straight, left, or right. "Chuck, we're stuck at a fork. Which way now?"

"Um…" Chuck studies the blueprints for a few seconds, "you want to go straight and that should put you directly above the office."

"Thanks," Sarah responds as she continues until she finds a grate that looks down on the room that holds the safe, which the Cipher is in. "We're at the room," Sarah relays to Chuck.

"Okay," Chuck searches the schematics, "it looks like the security system is hundreds of lasers along the ground, Mission Impossible style."

"And what does that mean?" Sarah asks curiously as she doesn't know the pop culture reference.

"Don't touch the floor," Bryce deadpans.

"Yep," Chuck confirms, "the lasers are an inch above the floor."

"Okay," Sarah unscrews the grate and gently pulls it up and into the duct. She sticks her head out of the duct to survey the room. They are in an office with a desk in the center, a bookshelf on the wall, the safe just a foot away from the bookshelf, and a comfy rolling chair. "Looks clear," Sarah pops her head back in and rearranges herself so she can get into the room feet first. She gently lowers herself feet first until they land on the desk in the center of the room.

Bryce follows her in and they both crouch on the desk as they look around for the best way to get to the safe. Sarah asks Chuck, "Is there a way to shut the lasers off?"

"Sorry, their security is way too complex," Chuck says with pity.

"Damn," Bryce grumbles. "How the hell are we supposed to get to the safe if it is five feet away from us?"

"Um…" Sarah smiles sheepishly at him, "I have an idea."

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" Bryce responds skeptically.

"Probably not," Sarah smiles wryly, "but if you can reach the bookshelf, you can make a bridge and I can climb on top of you."

"Is no a possibility?" Bryce asks knowing full well what the answer is. Sarah smirks apologetically. "Fine, let's just get this over with," he huffs as he carefully plans his lunge to reach the bookshelf. He reaches forward until his arms catch on the shelf parallel to the desk; the bookshelf trembling slightly. "I'm good," Bryce chokes out as he holds himself like a bridge with his feet gripped on the desk.

"I'll try to do this fast," Sarah responds as she climbs onto his back and crouches on one knee. Bryce lets out a grunt from the extra weight, but holds strong. Sarah jumps into action and starts spinning the dial on the safe while listening carefully for the louder clicks to inform her that it is the combination number. Bryce struggles to hold her as his body starts to tremble and perspire heavily. After successfully getting the three numbers, she pops open the safe and grabs the Cipher out if it. "I got it," Sarah informs as she closes the safe and the lock clicks into place.

"Great," Bryce chokes out as his sweat gets thicker and heavier. "Now please get off me."

"Right," Sarah climbs off of Bryce and onto the desk. She helps pull Bryce up, but a drop of sweat falls off his nose and drops to the floor.

"A drop of sweat couldn't possibly set off the al—" Bryce is interrupted by a loud blaring noise. "Really?"

"What the hell is happening?" Chuck demands fretfully.

"Chuck," Sarah stresses gravely, "find us a way out of here."

"The easiest way?" Chuck conjectures.

"No, the fastest!" Sarah shouts as she hands Bryce the Cipher so he can pocket it.

"Turn right!" Chuck directs them hastily.

Sarah and Bryce charge through the door into the hallway and turn right. "Now where?" Bryce demands.

"Left—no right!"

"Chuck," Bryce warns with a grumble.

"Go right," Chuck assures quickly.

Bryce and Sarah turn right again and head to the end of a hallway.

"There should be a stairwell that will take you to the ground floor, "Chuck explains in haste. "Then just head straight left and you should be at the front of the building."

"Roger that," Sarah confirms as Bryce shoulder charges the stairwell door open. They both head down when a number of security personnel starting heading up the stairs.

"Shit," Bryce grunts as he busts into the second floor to get away from the enemies. "Chuck, we're on the second floor. There're guards in the stairwell."

"We need another way, Chuck," Sarah stresses fretfully.

"Um…" Chuck hastily searches the schematics on his computer. "The stairs and the elevator are the only ways out and the elevators turned off automatically with the alarm tripped."

"Well, then we need to improvise," Bryce states as he and Sarah rush through the hallway.

"Um, there's a rather large window at the end of the north side of the building," Chuck explains quickly.

"We see it," Bryce states as he and Sarah head for the window while they pull out their handguns.

"Shit!" Sarah jumps into a room on her left as three men turn the corner and block off the window while firing their pistols erratically. Bryce dives into a room on his right and looks back to see Sarah across the way. She tells him to keep moving as she draws the fire of the enemies by firing back.

"Chuck," Bryce explains exasperatedly, "we got split up. I have the Cipher. I need a way out."

"What about Sarah?" Chuck asks worriedly.

"I'm okay, Chuck," Sarah responds as she finds herself in a large office with multiple cubicles. "Get Bryce out first."

"But…" Chuck tries to protest.

"He has the Cipher. I'll create a distraction," Sarah explains seriously.

"Chuck," Bryce speaks up, "I'm on the second floor on the room to the east side." He is in another large open room with multiple cubicles lined across the entire east side of the building.

Chuck struggles for a minute as he fights off the worries of something happening to Sarah. "Go forward and at the end there is a door that will lead back into the hallway. The guards should've spread by now and you can get out through the window."

"Got it," Bryce replies as he starts sprinting through the narrow hallway between the cubicles.

"Sarah, head back towards the stairwell," Chuck explains worriedly. "I'll meet you there."

"Wait? What?" Sarah demands in surprise by his words. "Chuck?"

She gets no answer as Chuck pulls his tranquilizer pistols from his jacket and hops out of the van and sprints towards the building's entrance.

"Chuck?" Sarah demands worriedly, but gets not answer back. "Bryce, I can't reach Chuck," her voice wavers slightly.

"I'm a bit busy," Bryce responds as he slides behind a cubicle when he sees two guards step into his room. He quickly pops up and fires two bullets that kill one of the guards. The other one starts shooting at Bryce's last known position while Bryce uses the cubicles as cover and flanks the last guard. From the guard's left, Bryce fires two shots that eliminate the guard. He continues sprinting through the cubicles.

Sarah crouches behind a cubicle as she hears the door opening. "Find 'em!" She hears a man grunt angrily followed by multiple heavy footsteps. Sarah sees an enemy step in the hallway behind her cubicle and as the guard raises his gun to fire, Sarah fires first and the man crumples to the ground. "There she is!" the same man as earlier yells and bullets start riddling her cubicle.

"Bryce, you out yet?" Sarah asks as she wants to make sure the mission is successful and she isn't sacrificing herself for nothing.

"I'm at the window," Bryce replies as he looks through the hallway to see it is empty. He fires four shots into the glass before sprinting out of the window.

"Good luck," Sarah responds sadly as she hears the faint shots of Bryce's gun and the guards pause to listen to the commotion. Sarah takes advantage of it and rolls into another cubicle and kills another guard with two bullets center mass to the chest.

Bryce crashes through the glass window and lands on a grass lawn as he rolls with a loud grunt. He quickly somersaults into a standing position and continues to sprint for the van.

Chuck busts into the hallway on the second floor and sees two guards a little ways down. They both turn to look at Chuck after the door had banged against the wall. Chuck quickly fires two tranq darts into each guard, and they slump to the floor.

Sarah hears footsteps on the direct opposite side of the cubicle wall. She lies on her back and kicks her right foot through the cubicle wall. Her foot crashes through the thin plaster and into the shin of the guard. He grunts as he drops to hold his injured shin. Sarah aims her gun through the hole and fires two shots into the guard; ending his misery.

"Freeze," the same male voice states ominously. Sarah turns to see the man holding a gun to her head. Sarah sighs in defeat. _At least Bryce made it out,_ she tells herself as she expects to be killed.

Bryce jumps into the van, but it is empty and there is a note on the monitor that reads _"Saving Sarah. Meet us at the window."_ Bryce shuts the van door and steps into the driver seat and starts the engine. He quickly turns the van around to meet where Chuck said to.

"Hand it over," the man demands as he threatens Sarah with his outstretched gun.

"I don't have it," Sarah responds smugly.

"Then you're no use to me," the man aims his gun, but slumps to the floor before he could fire.

Sarah watches as she sees Chuck standing behind the man with his tranq gun aimed. "Sarah, are you hurt?" Chuck asks worriedly as he kneels over her in a protective stance.

"No, I'm okay," Sarah responds with relief as she smiles as she is shocked to see Chuck.

"Then let's go," Chuck reaches a hand out to her and she takes it. He pulls her to her feet. "We're getting out the same way Bryce did."

"Okay," Sarah nods as they sprint through the cubicles.

"Dead guy, dead guy," Chuck murmurs fearfully as he hobbles over the body and continues running. They find the door back to the hallway and Chuck kicks it open. He and Sarah step out and are only twenty feet from the opening where the window used to be but is now just sparse shards left in the frame. Chuck glances back to see guards coming out of the stairwell at the other end of the hallway. "Go!" Chuck pushes Sarah forward and she dashes for the window with Chuck on her heels. As she dives out of the window, Chuck hurdles directly behind her.

She hits the ground with a thud as she rolls forward to balance the impact. As she rolls onto her feet, she looks back to see Chuck land on his feet before rolling heavily onto his left shoulder. He grunts in pain as he is a little slower to get on his feet. Bryce screeches to a halt in the van a few feet from them.

"Come on, Chuck," Sarah helps him to his feet and pushes him into the van. "Drive!" Sarah yells as she and Chuck get into the van and she closes the sliding door. Bryce doesn't hesitate as the engine roars and the tires screech as they make a quick getaway. "Are you alright?" Sarah asks as she gently prods Chuck's shoulder.

"I'll be fine," Chuck grunts out as he rolls his left shoulder gently. "I think I just bruised it."

"Thank you for coming back for me, Chuck," Sarah smiles shyly. She didn't expect to be saved as she was always taught the mission was most important.

"I'll always come back for you," Chuck states in reverence and honesty. "Wow," he chuckles to himself. "That sounded really cheesy."

"I liked it," Sarah smiles mirthfully at Chuck.

"How're you doing back there, buddy?" Bryce asks from the driver seat.

"I'm okay," Chuck replies. "Do you have the Cipher?"

"Right here," Bryce tosses it back and Chuck fumbles it in his hands before grasping it.

"Well, I'd say the mission was a success," Chuck smiles brightly at Sarah, who happily returns the toothy smile.

**November 3, 2004**

Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce went straight to Graham's office, although it is past midnight now. Jennifer had already gone home because Graham isn't some kind of monster that would force her to work that late, so he greeted them outside his office. "How'd it go?" Graham asks as he leads them into his office and finds his seat behind his desk. The agents sit down across from him.

"It went well," Bryce explains.

"Well?" Chuck nearly scoffs. "I don't think tripping the alarm counts as well," Chuck replies sarcastically.

"But you got the Cipher?" Graham asks anxiously.

"Right here," Sarah hands the circular device over to Graham.

He inspects it carefully before smiling at his agents. "Great job team. This'll really put a hold on Fulcrum's plans to build their own Intersect." He pockets it in his desk, "I'll have the analysts look over it and see if they can perfect it."

"Do you have any word on who Serpens is?" Chuck asks curiously.

"Sorry, nothing yet," Graham responds honestly.

"And no word on my dad?" Chuck asks hopelessly as he knows the answer.

"I'm sorry, Chuck," Graham states humbly. "We have all our best people working on contacting him. We just want his help; we're not trying to capture him."

"Alright," Chuck nods as he knows there is nothing more he can do at the moment. "Thank you, sir."

**November 3, 2004**

Chuck holds an icepack to his left shoulder as Sarah wraps saran wrap over it to keep it in place back at his apartment. She studies her work with a keen eye as she cannot help but let her gaze drift to Chuck's bare chest. He may not be the most muscular man, but he has an attractive build with some scruffy hair spaced along his torso. She quickly pulls her gaze from his defined chest and smiles at Chuck. "Thanks, Sarah," Chuck says graciously as he smiles at her.

"No problem, Chuck," her smile doesn't falter. "You saved me back there. This is the least I can do. Now get some sleep," she demands playfully.

"I will," Chuck smiles at her. "Goodnight, Sarah. Drive safe," he responds in a soft tone as he walks into his bedroom, leaving Sarah and Bryce in the living room.

"I'm sorry for leaving you back there," Bryce states from the couch.

"It's no problem," Sarah responds sweetly. "We got split up and you had the Cipher."

"Yea, I guess," Bryce takes a sip of his beer. "You going home?"

"Yea," Sarah responds with a nod as she pulls her keys out of her pocket and holds her jacket over her forearm. "I'm pretty tired."

"Yea, dodging bullets is tiring," Bryce quips.

Sarah chuckles, "yea. Goodnight, Bryce."

"Goodnight, Sarah," Bryce responds as he opens the door for her.

"Thanks," she smiles as she leaves the apartment.

Chuck sits down on his bed and pulls his laptop onto his lap. He presses the enter button and the computer awakes from its sleep mode to show a small window in the center that reads '_Search Complete. Click here for results'_ under a blue search bar that is completely filled. Chuck clicks the designated button and it reads '_No Matches Found.'_

Chuck sighs heavily as his shoulders deflate despondently. He thought he would get something back after securely searching 'Orion,' 'Stephen J. Bartowski,' 'Perseus,' and 'The Intersect.' But he got no results which means either his dad has completely erased himself from the face of the earth or his search didn't work. "Damn," Chuck sighs again as he closes his laptop dejectedly. _Maybe this mysterious Serpens will help with my search_, Chuck ponders thoughtfully. He leaves the laptop on the bed and walks out to the living area and sees Bryce sitting on the couch. "Did Sarah leave?" Chuck asks informally.

"She left a few minutes ago," Bryce replies. After a short pause, he casually declares, "I'm gonna ask her out."

"What?" Chuck stops in his tracks as his hand grips the fridge door tighter than necessary.

"I'm gonna ask her out," Bryce replies nonchalantly without even giving Chuck the courtesy of eye contact.

Chuck releases the fridge and walks over towards Bryce. "Don't do this," Chuck demands sincerely.

"Why not?" Bryce shrugs carelessly. His mind is already made up and he believes he can get Sarah into bed, along with any women he wants. He got Carina into bed not too long ago, so why not Sarah or any other beautiful woman?

"Because we're a team," Chuck replies seriously as he tries to convince Bryce not to do this. "We have a good thing going here."

"Yea, but it could be better," Bryce smiles charmingly at Chuck.

"Bryce," Chuck warns gravely, "please don't… I…" Chuck glides his hand over his face, "I like her… I care about her," he states emotionally from his heart. _I may even love her._

"I like her too," Bryce retorts as if Chuck is being selfish. "And we almost lost her on the last mission."

"Which I ended up going back for her," Chuck retorts boldly as his anger rises.

"Thank you for saving her for me," Bryce states in a humble tone. "You're a true friend." Chuck frowns deeply at Bryce's words. He didn't save her for him or himself; he saved her because he cares about her and doesn't want any harm to come to her. "How 'bout you do your thing, I'll do mine?" Bryce smirks deviously because he knows his seduction skills are better than Chuck's with the looks, charm and suave talking he has over Chuck. _Chuck doesn't stand a chance,_ Bryce thinks boastfully.

"Don't do this, Bryce," Chuck pleads in a bold tone with darkened eyes. "This isn't a game… It's real life." Chuck then adds quietly to himself, "it's her life."

"It's already been done," Bryce smirks smugly at Chuck as he stands up off the couch.

"Bryce," Chuck drawls in a warning tone as a frown develops over his features.

Bryce walks over to his room and opens the door. "May the best man win," he announces like it is a challenge of Olympic proportions with a wink before slipping into his room and closing the door.

Chuck grits his teeth tightly as he frowns deeply; his fists clenching impulsively.

**You got to love writer's block. It somehow always conveniently decides to rear its ugly head when you least want it or expect it.**

**So let the games begin…**

**Please review.**


	19. First Contact

**Thanks for all the reviews so far and all the people who have marked this story as a favorite, and subscribed to alerts. The original idea of what I wanted in this story is finally appearing… and I hope I don't disappoint you.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**November 4, 2004**

Chuck opens his laptop and hits the enter key. The screen lights up with a blue progress bar fully filled with the words '_Search Complete Click here for results'_ under it. _Please work, please work, _Chuck mutters in his mind as he clicks on the 'results' button. The screen changes and displays in large black font '_No Matches Found.'_ Chuck sighs despondently. He thought using 'Serpens' in his secure search would've allotted at least one result, but yet again, he got nothing. "Damn," he mumbles sadly as he drops his head into his hands.

He looks up forlornly and sees the tiny light next to the video camera on his laptop lit up. He furrows his brow and crooks his neck. "Why are you on?" He pokes the camera only for the light to turn off. Once it turns off, he wallows in his pity again. He finally decides it is probably better to let the CIA search for Orion… or he has one last idea, albeit being irrational and dangerous.

**In Las Vegas, Nevada…**

A man in a trench coat and Stetson fedora watches the feed he just hacked into after his security nets were hit by this person's search keywords. He watches as the young curly-haired man taps on the camera and the man in the trench coat ends the feed. "Oh Charles," he mumbles dreadfully. "What have you done?"

Orion closes his laptop and slips it into his messenger bag and hastily marches out of the room. As he walks away from the building, it explodes into a fiery inferno; killing all the fulcrum agents inside. Fulcrum is getting closer to him, but he has to do this. He has to help his son.

**November 4, 2004**

Chuck steps into the waiting room where Jennifer is sitting in her usual business attire with the pearl necklace around her neck and her brunette hair tied back in a bun. "Hey, Jennifer," Chuck smiles charmingly at Graham's assistant.

"Hey, Chuck," Jennifer smiles widely. "New mission?"

"Nope, I just need to talk with Graham for a minute," Chuck replies as he takes a seat across from her.

"I'll let him know," Jennifer types into her computer and sends a message to Graham. "So, Chuck… how have things been?"

"Pretty good," Chuck smiles thinly as the disappointing search for his father is still on his mind. "Haven't been shot yet," he jokes.

"Well, that's always good," Jennifer chuckles along with him.

"So, how're things with you and your husband…"

"David," Jennifer smiles brightly. "Everything's great. With the extra money from his raise a few months ago, we're thinking…" She stifles a squeal of joy, "we're thinking of starting a family," she states in complete elation.

"Really?" Chuck's eyes widen. "That's great!" He exclaims happily. Being as she is in her late thirties, it seems like a good time for her; although she looks like she is in her late twenties. Chuck can easily say she is a beautiful woman, but he has eyes for someone blonde, blue-eyed, and a spy.

"I know," she smiles shyly at him.

"Make sure you tell David how lucky he is," Chuck jokingly demands. "Tell him 'Chuck says you're the luckiest man in the world,' okay?"

"I will," she smiles joyously at the young agent when a beep interrupts them. "Oh, it looks like Graham will see you, Chuck."

"Alright," Chuck nods as he stands up. "Good luck with everything," he smiles sincerely.

"Thank you, Chuck," she smiles bashfully back.

Chuck walks into Graham's office and shuts the door behind him. Graham is sitting in his royal chair across the desk with his hands interlaced in front of him. "Carmichael," Graham greets with a nod, "to what do I owe the pleasure?" Chuck isn't certain, but he thinks there might be a hint of sarcasm in Graham's tone.

"Well," Chuck suddenly starts feeling nervous under Graham's weighing stare. He scratches the back of his head sheepishly. "I was just wondering how the search for my father is going."

"There is nothing new in the search for Orion," Graham replies cryptically.

"Sir, I have an idea to lure him out," Chuck states as he slides into the seat across from Graham.

"What is your idea?" Graham leans a little further forward to give Chuck his complete attention. Graham knows that Chuck is very intellectual and his ideas have helped in the past.

"Since Orion is my dad and all," Chuck stammers out, "if we were to leak my name and the Intersect out then he might try to contact me and see if it is true."

"Absolutely not," Graham shakes his head vehemently. "There is no way we're risking *the identity* of the Intersect to be out there!"

"But if we only did it through secure channels that Orion probably can easily hack into…"

"No," Graham states boldly. "Chuck," he sighs after seeing the defeated look on Chuck, "I understand you want to find your father. I lost my father at a young age… and I wish I could see him again, just one more time, but you can't risk this. We don't know if Fulcrum has access to our secure channels. You'd be painting a target on not only your back, but yours sister's too."

"I…" Chuck realizes how horrible that could've been if he had leaked his name with the Intersect. He could've lost his sister if he did it. "You're right," he confesses reverently. "I can't risk hurting Ellie. I could never forgive myself."

Graham furrows his brow ever so slightly as he sees Chuck worried more about his sister than himself. "I promise you that we're doing everything we can to find him," Graham assures honestly. "You just need to be patient. I promise that when we find him, I'll make sure you can talk with him; ask him whatever you want. It's the least you deserve."

"Thank you, sir," Chuck nods graciously. "I do trust you and your analysts… I guess I just need to be patient."

"That's good to hear," Graham smiles at his agent. "I don't have a mission at the moment, but the minute there is one, I'll give you a call."

"Thank you, sir," Chuck stands up and leaves with his spirits heightened.

**November 9, 2004**

Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce are sitting down in Graham's office. Graham is on the other side peering over at his agents. "Good day, team," he greets sincerely. "So far the search for Orion hasn't netted any results, but I promise to keep you posted."

"Thank you, sir," Chuck nods graciously.

"The Cipher you recovered last mission was a Trojan horse," Graham explains gravely. "My analysts checked over the specifications and found out it was designed with explosives large enough to level the Intersect room."

"Was anyone hurt?" Chuck asks worriedly.

"No, they were able to find the explosives before we tried uploading it," Graham assures. "It was a ruse by Fulcrum to destroy our progress towards a new Intersect. We have intel that this person has the real Cipher in her possession and is going to sell it on the black market in New York." Graham slides a photo of a woman across the desk. The woman is in her early thirties with short black hair that is diagonally combed just above her eye. Her eyes are a deep brown that is almost maroon and her lips are thin and small. Chuck feels the familiar tingle of a flash as he glances upon the portrait.

_A withering red rose with almost all the color faded._

_A U.S. Passport of Andrea Black._

_Former CIA Agent; recruited by Fulcrum in 2001._

_A withering red rose with almost all the color faded._

"So, what's our approach?" Sarah asks curiously.

"Because we can't risk Fulcrum having your identity," Graham's gaze shifts from Bryce to Chuck, "Carmichael, you're going to have to seduce this woman."

"Me?" Chuck squeaks out unsurely.

"Yes," Graham assures. "We aren't sure where the Cipher is and we need you to find it."

"Um… okay," Chuck nods hesitantly.

**November 12, 2004**

Sarah straightens Chuck's dark blue diagonally striped tie with a small smile. "You look good, Chuck," she muses as she puffs out the lapels of his charcoal black suit jacket over his black vest over a blue dress shirt with pinstripes. She can read the uneasiness and worry on his face like a kid's picture book. "What's wrong, Chuck?" She asks humbly.

"Nothing," he replies halfheartedly.

"Chuck, talk to me," Sarah pleads gently with a welcoming smile.

"It's just…" he bows his head before looking back into her dazzling eyes. "I've never had to seduce an actual mark. Sure, I did the training and all, but…"

"Carina," Sarah finishes as she realizes what he is thinking.

"Yea," he mumbles dejectedly.

"Chuck," she demands his attention, "can I tell you something?"

"Yea," he gazes intently into her blue eyes as he searches for any semblance of hope.

"I've seen you do so many amazing things, Chuck. Just because what happened with Carina wasn't real doesn't mean anything else you did wasn't. Everything you did was all you, Chuck. It was no trick, no con, no training. It was you," she convinces with a confident tone. "Chuck, you look handsome and you're charming. Just be yourself and I know you can do this."

"Thanks," Chuck smiles thinly at Sarah.

"Now don't worry," Sarah smiles brightly at seeing Chuck's spirits now risen, "Bryce and I will be in the van only a few seconds away."

Chuck frowns deeply as he thinks about Bryce and Sarah in the van together; his thoughts retreating back to Bryce saying he was going to ask Sarah out. He really hopes Bryce was just teasing him, and not going through on his word.

"Now what's wrong?" Sarah demands as her patience is tested.

"Nothing," Chuck assures as he plasters on a fake smile.

**November 12, 2004**

Chuck steps into the hotel bar/lounge. He takes a deep breath as he surveys the area. "Chuck, Black is sitting alone on the couch to your left," Sarah informs him. Chuck's eyes shift to the left to see the brunette sitting alone on the couch; no drink in her hand or anyone to entertain her.

"I see her," Chuck responds into his watch. "Wish me luck," Chuck sardonically states.

"Chuck, just remember, be yourself," Sarah encourages with an upbeat tone. "And make sure to get her a drink."

Chuck takes Sarah's advice in stride as he sits down next to Black. He smiles at her as she furrows her brow at his sudden intrusion into her tranquility. "Excuse me," he smiles charmingly at her, "is this seat taken?" Her eyebrow rises ever so slightly. "I'll take that as a no then," Chuck continues in his confident tone. "Charles Carmichael; and you are…" he holds his hand out sincerely.

"Going to sleep," Black responds apathetically.

"Well, maybe I can give you some company then," Chuck smiles charmingly as he raises a hand to get the waiter's attention. "Garcon!" Chuck snaps and gets the waiter's attention. "Can I get two ice cold dirty martinis; three olives. Thank you," Chuck nods away the waiter and directs his gaze back onto Black.

"That's very sweet of you," Black smiles subtly at Chuck. "But, as I told you, I'm going to sleep. Goodnight, Mr. Carmichael."

"Wait," Chuck pleads calmly. "Have a drink with me. You're probably one of those beautiful women who just walk across the runway and turn right back around without thinking twice," Chuck walks his fingers in the air to emphasize his words. "Live a little and enjoy a drink with a man who may very well surprise you," he smiles charmingly at her.

Her smile widens at Chuck's subtle hint of calling her a supermodel. "Maybe, just one drink," she feigns hesitance with a sincere tone.

"You're doing great," Sarah smiles as she watches Chuck succeeding so well.

"Hey, Sarah," Bryce looks across the van at the beautiful blonde.

"Yea?" She looks over at him as he turns off their microphones to give them some privacy.

"Do you want to get some dinner tomorrow night?" He propositions confidently with a welcoming smile.

"With Chuck?" Sarah asks oblivious to the context of his question.

"No, just us two," he smiles charmingly. "A little romantic candlelit dinner at an elegant French restaurant."

"Like a date?" Sarah is shocked that Bryce is asking her out, but cannot help to grin mirthfully at thinking it is a joke.

"Yea," he smiles brightly, "what do you say?" He gently prods her with his elbow.

"Um…" Sarah is mystified that Bryce is asking her out. Sure, he seems like a nice guy, but she doesn't know if she wants to mess with the team dynamic at the moment because they've been doing so well. "I'm sorry," she offers an apologetic smile, "but I don't think it is right for us to date because we work together."

"That's just the thing," Bryce explains undeterred. "We can become an even stronger team if we're together."

"I'm sorry, Bryce," Sarah reiterates with a sincere smile. "You're sweet and all, but it would be unprofessional."

"Yea, your right," Bryce sighs as they both look at the computer screen to see Chuck doing well at his first real seduction. "A real relationship wouldn't work. That's why I think Chuck and Jesse have a good thing going."

Sarah's intrigue is piqued by Bryce's words. "What do you mean?" She couldn't help but ask. She thought Chuck and Jesse were just friends.

"They're essentially friends with benefits," Bryce shrugs casually. "When she was in town a month ago, where do you think she slept?"

"The guest bedroom," Sarah offers logically.

"She put her stuff in there but she definitely didn't sleep in there," Bryce explains with a convincing tone.

"Really?" Sarah's eyebrows rise at the revelation. She never saw Chuck as someone who would indulge in casual sex; especially after being so livid about what happened with Carina.

"Yea," Bryce assures with a sigh. "But it works for them. She comes in town every few months and they release their tensions until the next time they meet. It's quite genius of them. If they were to grow real feelings for each other, it would put them in a compromising position. Casual sex among friends is nothing to be ashamed about."

"I guess," Sarah responds as she doesn't really want to hear about Chuck's sex life anymore. She quickly engrosses herself back in watching Chuck's mission while the thoughts fester in her mind. She misses the evil smirk on Bryce's face as he knows he just planted the idea of casual sex, while making Chuck look like he already has someone. Hopefully, Sarah will soon realize she'd like to have sex and with Chuck taken, he's the only reasonable choice left.

"Did I not tell you that you'd enjoy a drink with me?" Chuck grins as Black places her empty martini glass on the table.

"I guess I was mistaken," Black smiles sultrily. "I could definitely use the company tonight," she winks seductively as she runs her left hand through her hair.

Chuck notices her watch and feels the tingle of a flash. He quickly focuses on his training to keep his face still as the information hits him.

_A large mountain._

_The Cipher disguised in the casing of a watch._

_The Cipher running at optimal speed._

_A large mountain._

"I'd… I'd love to," Chuck smiles charmingly at her.

"Good," she smiles as she stands up.

"The Cipher is in her watch on her left hand!" Chuck hisses into his microphone watch in a harsh whisper.

"I'll be there in twenty seconds," Sarah responds almost immediately.

_What the hell does that mean?_ Chuck thinks worriedly as he plasters on a charming smile for Black as he takes her right hand in his left hand. They both walk out of the lounge and into the lobby when Chuck notices Sarah walking in. He furrows his brow at her, but she acts like she doesn't even know him. She walks right by them and accidentally bumps into Black.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Sarah says dramatically apologetically.

Chuck notices the deathly glare Black is putting on the back of Sarah's head as the blonde continues into the lounge. "So, where were we?" Chuck asks with a smile.

"Yes," Black smiles right back as she leads him to the elevator.

"Chuck, I have the Cipher," Sarah chirps into his earpiece.

"How?" Chuck asks in complete shock.

"How what?" Black studies Chuck curiously.

"Oh," Chuck stammers nervously, "um, how did you enjoy your night so far?"

"I haven't even started," she attacks his lips with a heated kiss. Chuck's eyes widen as her tongue forces itself into his mouth. Luckily, the ding of the elevator interrupts her assault and she retreats with a predatory smile. They both walk through the hallway and into her room. "Make yourself comfortable," she whispers seductively as she heads for the bathroom. "I'm going to slip into something a little more… comfortable."

"Yea, you do that," Chuck responds coolly. "I'll be waiting here."

She grins at him and then slips into the bathroom.

"Did you guys see that?" Chuck whispers into his watch with utter pride. "I totally seduced her!"

"Yea, we saw," Sarah responds slightly bitterly. "Now get out of there. We have the Cipher."

"Oh, right," Chuck heads for the front door and the instant he opens it, Black steps out of the bathroom.

"And where're you going?" She asks with an overly seductive tone while still wearing her dress.

"Oh, um, I was just going to get some ice," Chuck's eyes fall onto the ice bucket. "Yes, some ice," he walks over to the table and picks up the ice bucket. He turns back towards the door to see Black standing in front of it as she slams it closed. Her expression is turning very evil very quickly. "No ice then?" Chuck squeaks out in slight fear.

"Where is it," she brandishes a large dagger as stares him down.

"Where's what?" Chuck fearfully covers his crotch with the ice bucket; an impulse he learned a long time ago that every man should have.

"Where's my watch?" She demands lividly. Chuck glances at her naked wrist and is shocked himself that it is gone. Sarah must've stolen it in the lobby. Black loses her temper and throws the knife towards Chuck. He flinches as the blade sticks perfectly into the ice bucket. Chuck glances down to see the blade completely through the wall of the bucket and the tip touching the wall directly next to his manhood.

"Eep," Chuck yelps out in utter fear for his manhood. He throws the bucket at her and she knocks it away. She brandishes another dagger of the same variety. Where it came from, nobody will know.

"Give me my watch or I'll kill you," she demands as she lunges at him with the knife.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Chuck sidesteps her attack as he tries to talk her down.

"Maybe you don't," she eyes him skeptically through narrowed eyes, "but I'm gonna kill you anyways."

"What? Why?" Chuck protests as he ducks a horizontal slash at his head.

"Because I'm angry," she tries to stab downwards at him 'Psycho' style. He catches her wrist and spins her so her back is against his chest while making sure the blade cannot harm him.

"I can't hit a girl," Chuck whines as he tries to hold her in place.

"Good," she muses as she elbows backwards into his gut with her free left arm.

"Uhg!" Chuck lurches back and she slips out of his hold.

"You're going to give me my watch and then I'm going to kill you," she threatens angrily.

"That doesn't seem like a fair compromise," Chuck argues pointlessly as her mind is already made up. She charges him with the dagger forward. Chuck sidesteps her lunge and wraps her outstretched arm around her own neck. He quickly uses his right hand to pull out his tranquilizer pistol and presses it to her neck. She is about to elbow backwards again, but he fires a shot into her jugular vein. The sedative spreads into her bloodstream in less than a second and she becomes dead weight in his arms.

He sighs heavily in relief as he lays her on the bed. "That was not fun," he muses before pulling his watch to his mouth. "Black has been tranqed," he informs his team breathlessly.

"Good," Bryce responds. "We'll have a cleanup team pick her up. Now get your ass down here."

"I'm going, I'm going," Chuck responds with disbelief. He had to fend off a knife wielding opponent while Bryce just had to sit in the van, so he can wait as long as it takes.

Chuck climbs into the van and smiles at Bryce and Sarah. "Piece of cake," he muses smugly.

"Good job, Chuck," Sarah smiles subtly at him.

"Thanks," he smiles at being complimented by Sarah. "How'd you manage to get the watch from Black? Just wondering…"

Sarah smiles deviously. "It's just a trick I learned a long time ago," she explains cryptically as she dangles the watch over her face.

"Well that was pretty cool," he smiles toothily. "When she asked me for her watch, I had to do a double take that it wasn't still on her wrist."

"Yea, it's a fancy trick," she smiles proudly. Much to her surprise, many of the skills her father taught her still come in handy as a spy.

"It sure is," Chuck smiles as he sees the gorgeous brilliant smile on Sarah's face. She looks absolutely stunning when she smiles.

**November 13, 2004**

"Here's the Cipher," Sarah hands it to Graham inside his office.

"So the mission was a success then," Graham smiles as he puts the Cipher into his desk.

"Yes, we were able to capture Black too," Chuck explains proudly.

"That's good to hear," Graham nods appreciatively. "She may know more about Fulcrum."

"Um… any word on my dad?" Chuck asks hopefully.

"Sorry, Chuck," Graham states honestly. "Orion is a ghost and has eluded our every attempt, but we're still looking."

"Alright," Chuck sighs slightly dejectedly. "Thank you, sir," he nods solemnly.

"You're dismissed," Graham states and the three agents stand up and leave.

**November 13, 2004**

Chuck flips open his computer and lays back on his bed while it boots up. After a minute of waiting, he sits up and looks at the screen. The screen is lit up, but plainly black. Chuck furrows his brow as he sits straight and pulls the laptop onto his lap. "Are you feeling alright, computer?" He asks as he affectionately pets the top of the screen.

Suddenly the words '_I know your secret'_ appear on the screen.

Chuck quirks an eyebrow as he thinks it is a joke. "Real funny, Bryce," he humorlessly laughs.

The computer then displays _'You're the Intersect.'_ Chuck's eyebrows rise as he wouldn't expect Bryce to take the joke that far.

"Is Bryce doing this?" Chuck asks himself.

The computer then reads _'No Charles, this is Orion.'_

"Orion?" Chuck's eyes widen in complete shock. "Dad?"

'_This computer is not secure for very long. You mustn't tell anyone about this.'_

"Not even Bryce or Sarah?" Chuck asks curiously.

'_Especially not them.'_

'_No one.'_

'_I'm sending one of mine to your location.'_

"When will I get it?" Chuck asks anxiously, but his computer screen just fizzes back to the desktop. "No, damn it!" Chuck fights the urge to slam his fist against the laptop in rage._ I was so close,_ Chuck somberly whines hopelessly.

**Let the Bryce hatred begin!**

**Please review.**


	20. The Man Behind The Curtains

**Thanks for all the reviews so far. I couldn't have written this without them. Here is a beast of a chapter for all you boys and girls, because it didn't want to end while I was writing it.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**November 13, 2004**

Chuck paces back in forth in his room as his mind anxiously builds up with thoughts. "When is this computer going to come?" He asks the wall. "Why can't I tell Bryce or Sarah?" He rubs his hands over his face. "Do I trust them?" His eyes pensively narrow. "Of course I trust them. I trust Sarah. I trust Bryce," he convinces himself. "But do I trust Graham?" Chuck asks himself conspiratorially. "What does he want with my dad? Does he just want his help or is he going to enslave him?" Chuck's mind continues to question everything. "Why did my dad leave in the first place? Was he in danger? Was Ellie or I in danger?" Chuck's eyes widen slightly at the thought. "No, no, we never had any problems," Chuck reminds himself. "Please hurry up with this, dad," Chuck pleads to his ceiling as he plops face up on the bed.

**November 16, 2004**

The team gathers in Graham's office and he immediately starts with their next assignment. "It looks like some middle-ranked Fulcrum agents are meeting under the guise of an art gala," Graham explains, "in Los Angeles."

"What?" Chuck's head perks up at hearing the city he practically grew up in.

"You're going to have to reestablish your cover for this mission," Graham continues seamlessly.

"Or my sister doesn't need to know we're there," Chuck supplies thoughtfully, interrupting Graham.

"Or that," Graham narrows his eyes slightly bitterly at Chuck for the interruption. "We need you to learn what the Fulcrum agents know."

"Seems pretty straightforward," Bryce muses with a casual nod.

"Yea," Graham agrees. "Larkin, you and Walker will go under the cover as a couple while Carmichael, you'll be monitoring them in the van."

"What about their knowledge of Bryce?" Chuck questions in the best interest of his friend's safety.

"We just got some intel that Fulcrum is keeping Larkin's identity as the Intersect under wraps," Graham explains. "Only the highest ranking agents would know of his identity."

"Okay," Chuck nods.

"Any more questions?" Graham ponders.

"No, sir," they all nod.

"We aren't certain who the other Fulcrum agents are besides this man," Graham slides a photo across the desk. Chuck feels the familiar tingle of a flash.

_A destroyed freeway._

_Security footage of a tall man assassinating a man on his knees._

_Former Sergeant Marcus Drake of the U.S. Army, but honorably discharged after a failed mission in Kuwait._

_A destroyed freeway._

Chuck blinks off the remnants of the flash as he refocuses his vision on Graham. "Former U.S. Sergeant with the U.S. before being discharged for killing an innocent family on a mission in Kuwait," Chuck explains.

"Yes, Marcus Drake is now working with Fulcrum after they offered him a job of danger and killing," Graham completes the back story. "We don't know how many Fulcrum members are meeting so we need eyes and ears on them the whole time."

"We got this," Bryce states arrogantly.

"See that you do," Graham finishes dismissively.

**November 18, 2004**

Chuck has his laptop tucked under his arm as he coolly walks up to Sarah's hotel room. Bryce is still getting dressed as he needs to look formal while Chuck just threw on some black slacks, a white dress shirt, and a black suit jacket just in case he needs to get into the gala. He knocks calmly and waits with his jacket hung over his shoulder. The door opens a few seconds later to reveal a lingerie-clad Sarah. "Hi, Chuck," she smiles brightly at him.

Chuck's eyes widen at how _oh my god she is so god damn beautiful_ she is. She is wearing black panties with frilly edges and her bra is almost translucent enough to see healthy glimpses of skin between the black floral designs. She has a sheath tied to her upper right thigh that houses throwing knives. Her golden blonde hair is pulled back in a long-flowing ponytail. "Oh, um, I'll come back in a few minutes," Chuck nervously spins on his heels and is about to walk back to his hotel room; his neck and cheeks stinging with a deep crimson blush.

"It's fine, Chuck," Sarah smiles at his nervous reaction as she reaches for his shoulder. "Come on in," she directs him into the room and closes the door behind him. "Where's Bryce?"

"He's still getting dressed," Chuck responds halfheartedly as he is in the presence of a nearly naked goddess. His mind is so occupied with the perfection before him that he mindlessly sits on the end of the bed. "You know, Bryce," he finally gains a semblance of control. "If his lipstick isn't perfect, then his whole outfit doesn't work."

Sarah lets out a giggle at Chuck's joke. "You're funny," she muses happily as she walks into the bathroom and leans into the mirror; leaving the door wide open. Chuck opens his laptop and powers it on while Sarah is applying her makeup. Chuck's eyes quickly drift over the rim of his laptop to where Sarah is leaning over the mirror; her gorgeous ass jutted out just slightly from her subtle bend forward. Chuck quickly darts his eyes back onto his computer screen, but it is too boring as it is still loading; although anything is more boring than Sarah Walker in lingerie.

"You know you don't need that much makeup," Chuck informs her sweetly. "You're already beautiful enough without it." He just realizes how blatant his compliment was and starts blushing under the joyous smile she shoots him.

"Thank you, Chuck," she responds graciously before she turns back to the mirror to continue pampering her cheeks. Chuck starts typing furiously on his laptop; the keys clicking rapidly pique Sarah's curiosity. Sarah just finishes the last touches of her makeup by applying red lipstick to go with the red dress she picked out. "Chuck?" She asks softly as she walks out of the bathroom.

"Huh?" He looks up from his computer only to be greeted by the most beautiful sight ever. His blush quickly resurfaces as he looks back down at his computer to regain his composure.

"What're you doing on there?" She asks sincerely as she sits down next to him to watch.

"Right now," Chuck explains with an air of confidence that only someone technologically savvy such as himself would have, "I'm remotely hacking into the security system at the gala so I'll be able to watch over you guys from multiple views."

"You're so smart," Sarah muses kindly as she lets her head rest on his right shoulder as she watches him breaking into the security camera feeds. His shoulder is so warm and comforting against her left cheek.

"You're smart too," Chuck assures honestly; trying to ignore the fact that he has Sarah cuddled against his side and she is wearing next to nothing.

"But you're so amazing with computers," she reasons with a tinge of envy. She does wish she could do some of the stuff Chuck can do on a computer; especially with digital espionage increasing in importance.

"And you're amazing at throwing knives and just beating up people overall," he claims mirthfully. She lets out a small giggle at his contrasting comparison between them. Chuck gingerly presses a single key on his keyboard. "And now I have access to all their cameras," Chuck explains as he flips through multiple security feeds.

"That's incredible," Sarah muses as she enjoys the tranquility of resting her head on his shoulder. It keeps the pre-mission jitters away and keeps her calm throughout.

"I have my moments," Chuck turns to look at her with a jovial smile.

She snorts at his comment before becoming solemnly silent. "Chuck?" She asks just over a whisper.

"Yea?" Chuck asks as he stares at his computer screen, but giving her all his attention.

"Are you still worried about your dad?" She asks with complete honesty.

"Well…" Chuck pauses thoughtfully. "Yea, I haven't seen him in years and I just… I just want to see him again."

"You will, Chuck," Sarah assures confidently. "I promise."

"Thank you," Chuck whispers.

After a few more seconds of comfortable silence, she reluctantly lifts her head off his shoulder and stands up. She lifts her bright red dress from the bed and shimmies into it. She slides the single sash over her left shoulder. She ties the sash into a small bow on her shoulder and lets the extra fabric hang ceremoniously down her back. The dress has a slit along the right leg that reaches up to her mid-thigh to reveal her long silky toned leg. She then slides her feet into some elegantly simple red open-toed heels to reveal her red nail polish delicately framed on each toenail. She hooks her elliptical silver earrings onto both ears and smiles at Chuck. "How do I look?" She asks softly as if his words are the only ones that matter to her.

Chuck looks up from his laptop for the four hundred and thirty-seventh time in the last ten minutes. His jaw drops for the four hundred and thirty-seventh time in the last ten minutes as his eyes rest upon her. "Um… wow… uh… you look… just… wow… you look amazing," he finally states in wonderment and coherently after babbling nonsensically for the greater half of his answer.

Sarah grins at Chuck's nervous babbling. It makes him look adorably cute when he gets all flustered. "Thank you, Chuck," she states softly. No one ever compliments her like Chuck does. He does it almost accidentally at times as if he just verbalizes what his mind is conjuring without thinking about it or possibly just forgetting to think about it before saying it. They are the most honest compliments she's ever received. It is one thing to compliment someone, but to speak the truth while doing it is a whole new level she rarely experiences.

A knock at the door interrupts them and Chuck muses, "That must be Bryce."

"I got it," Sarah happily walks over to the door and after peering through the peephole, opens it to Bryce standing in a black tuxedo with a white dress shirt and a black bowtie.

"Your lipstick looks good," Chuck jokes as Bryce steps into the room. Sarah bellows a laugh at Chuck's joke.

"What?" Bryce demands agitatedly because they are making fun of him and he doesn't know why. "I'm not wearing lipstick!" Chuck and Sarah just laugh harder at Bryce's protest.

**November 18, 2004**

Chuck watches over Sarah and Bryce as Bryce hooks the camera pin to his lapel. Chuck turns to the monitor in the van and makes sure the feed is running and aligned. After approving of it, he sweeps his eyes across the van only for them to retreat back to Sarah's right leg that is completely bare as the dress pools around it. He blushes slightly as his eyes drifts up to the top of her thigh. He quickly forces his eyes to jump off the track and look over at Bryce. "The feed looks good," he informs Bryce.

"Good," Bryce muses as he releases the camera pin.

"Here," Chuck lays out his palm raised up with two earpieces. Bryce and Sarah each take one and slip it into their ears. Chuck brings his microphone watch to his mouth, "testing; testing."

"Sound is clear," Sarah muses with a subtle smile.

"Great," Chuck muses as he turns back to the monitor with multiple security feeds on it. "Alright, so you guys are going to go in and once we locate Drake, we keep an eye on him," Chuck explains seriously. "We don't know who he's meeting with, but if I flash on anyone, I'll let you know. And we don't know when this meeting is so stay sharp out there."

"Don't worry," Sarah smiles disarmingly at Chuck.

"Yea, we got this, buddy," Bryce pats Chuck on the shoulder and then opens the van's sliding door. "Just have fun in the van," he smirks as he steps out.

Chuck narrows his eyes and grumbles slightly at Bryce's inconsiderate remark. "Just remember," Sarah speaks up as she sees the agitation on Chuck's face, "you're our backup so you're just as important."

"Thanks, Sarah," Chuck smiles at her kindness. "Good luck, and be careful."

"We will," Sarah nods with a quick smile before walking off with Bryce.

"I hope so," Chuck muses quietly to himself as he turns back to watch over the security feeds.

Sarah and Bryce enter the luxurious ballroom arm-in-arm. Chuck watches the security camera that looks over the entrance as they enter. He watches carefully as Bryce pulls Sarah into a sultry kiss on the lips. Sarah is surprised by the forcefulness, but believes it is just for the cover so she relaxes into his kiss. After Bryce breaks it, he smirks arrogantly at the camera and winks tauntingly; knowing Chuck will be watching.

Chuck grinds his teeth together and tenses his entire body at seeing Bryce's crude show. His heart clenches with pain as his eyes narrow slightly at seeing the woman he cares about being kissed by another man. He cannot believe Bryce would be so rude and hurtful to actually try to take Sarah for himself after Chuck displayed his feelings for her. It makes Chuck wonder what else Bryce may've been doing with Sarah.

"What was that for?" Sarah whispers harshly at Bryce.

"For the cover," he responds casually as if that justifies everything.

Sarah holds a fleeting glance of skepticism before shrugging it off and walking into the actual gala with Bryce. Bryce and Sarah scour the floor in search of Drake but don't see him. "No sign of Drake yet," Sarah whispers into her watch to inform Chuck.

"Roger that," Chuck responds. "I'm still looking."

"Keep us posted, buddy," Bryce whispers into his watch before muting his microphone. "So, have you thought about going on a date with me?" He charmingly asks Sarah.

"I already told you that I don't date the people I work with," she responds sincerely, although she is starting to get annoyed by his incessant nagging.

"Why not?" Bryce asks curiously. "Do you care about Chuck?"

"What?" Sarah furrows her brow. "No, well, I do," she fumbles over her words slightly as she doesn't want to be rude or untruthful, "but only in a professional way." _Do I care about Chuck?_ Sarah questions herself as she has always enjoyed being in his company.

"Okay," Bryce nods pensively with a doubting tone.

"It wouldn't matter anyways," Sarah responds dismissively. "He's dating Jesse, isn't he?" She remarks with a tiny hint of bitterness.

"I wouldn't call friends with benefits dating," Bryce states matter-of-factly. "Chuck still goes out to bars sometimes. You wouldn't know it by how he acts, but he's quite efficient at the seduction thing."

"It did work on Andrea Black," Sarah comments with an unbiased shrug.

"Yea, exactly," Bryce assures conspiratorially. "It doesn't really matter. It's just good you don't care about Chuck in a personal way."

"Why?" Sarah furrows her brow as she is intrigued by Bryce's thought path.

"Well, you know how personal relationships don't really work in our line of work," he explains with an air of confidence and a tone of pity that makes him sound like he wishes things could be different. "It's too dangerous because the enemy can use them against you. That way if Chuck was captured and they threatened to hurt him, you won't talk," he remarks calmly as if it is an everyday part of the job. "So, it's probably good that you don't care about Chuck."

Sarah's thoughts are quickly absorbed by the idea of Chuck being harmed in front of her eyes. Her eyes darken and her expression tightens into a scowl as she impulsively tenses at the idea. _I couldn't let someone hurt Chuck, _she tells herself as she stifles a tremor from running through her body.

"I found Drake," Chuck interrupts Sarah's brooding thoughts. "He's looking at the painting of the forest with that stream running between the two mountains.

"We see him," Bryce informs Chuck after turning his microphone back on. "I always found that painting to be quite bland."

"Yea it's really Bob Ross-ian," Chuck quips with a grin, "in its influences."

"Who?" Sarah questions curiously.

"Bob Ross, Bob Ross, you know, Bob Ross," Chuck explains in disbelief that Sarah has no idea, "the guy who used to paint on PBS… with the afro… and…" Chuck sees the dumbfounded expression on Sarah's face through the security feed. "You have no idea who I'm talking about, do you?"

"Sorry, Chuck," Sarah grins mirthfully.

"It's fine," Chuck relents with an airy tone. "Not everyone is as experienced in the public service culture as me."

"I guess not," Sarah smiles at Chuck's joke.

"Looks like Drake is moving to the next picture," Bryce muses professionally as his eyes haven't shifted off of Drake since locating him. They all drop the lighthearted conversation and become gravely serious as they watch Drake stand next to the next painting. A woman in her early thirties stands next to him and admires the artwork at the same time. "Possible Fulcrum contact," Bryce whispers to Chuck.

"I see her," Chuck affirms as he focuses the camera on the woman. He gazes intently at her, but never feels the effects of a flash. "I didn't flash on her."

"Roger that," Sarah whispers into her watch as she and Bryce walk arm-in-arm to the next painting over where they can overhear Drake's conversation with the woman.

"This is quite a marvelous piece," the woman remarks with the remnants of a French accent.

"Yes, but I rather enjoy more scenic works," Drake responds almost mechanically.

"Yes, I do much enjoy scenic works," she pauses for maybe a second before continuing, "but what I really love are portraits."

"Possible code phrases," Sarah whispers to Bryce.

"It didn't sound natural," Bryce whispers in agreement.

"Chuck," Sarah inconspicuously whispers into her watch, "I think she's Fulcrum too."

"Roger that," Chuck responds. "I'll keep an eye on her." A few seconds later, the two suspected Fulcrum agents disperse and Drake steps over to the painting that Sarah and Bryce are at. "Drake's on the move."

Sarah and Bryce quickly don innocent personas of being lovers enjoying their evening. "Lovely painting," Drake muses with a welcoming smile directed towards the couple.

"Oh, yes it's most lovely," Sarah responds eloquently as she inconspicuously slips a tiny GLG-20 listening device into Drake's pocket.

"It would look good over our fireplace, honey," Bryce responds mirthfully.

"Oh yea!" Sarah acts excited as she hugs onto Bryce's arm. "You should buy it for me, baby," she lowers her voice into a sultry whisper. "It would look very good from the rug."

Drake's eyebrows rise ever so slightly at her unsubtle comment and he decides it is better to just keep moving than to stand there awkwardly as the conversation starts turning very personal.

"Or on the ceiling," Bryce whispers loud enough for Drake to hear it as he is walking to the next painting. Bryce brings Sarah in for a kiss and holds it for a steady five seconds before releasing her. "That definitely worked," Bryce muses with a smirk towards Sarah.

"And I bugged him," Sarah just sincerely smiles back.

Chuck watched the whole thing play out and heard every word of it. He squeezes his eyes shut as he repeats over and over in his mind; _it's just for the cover. That's all it was,_ he tries to convince himself. He reopens his eyes and gathers the fallen chips of his heart's crumbling walls and dons his spy persona to keep him focused.

The gala uneventfully continues as Drake and his mysterious friend continue to act like normal art appreciators until the woman heads for the doors to the kitchen. "Guys, we have movement," Chuck informs them.

"Is it Drake's girlfriend?" Bryce asks curiously.

"Girlfriend… really?" Chuck questions incredulously. "It doesn't matter, but yea, she's heading for the kitchen."

"Do you have feeds in there?" Sarah queries.

"Only a few," Chuck responds, "watching over the main kitchen and the hallway to the back."

"Keep watch on her," Sarah orders calmly. "We're still on Drake."

"Roger that," Chuck watches as Drake's 'girlfriend' walks into the kitchen and into a hallway. She enters one of the hallway doors where Chuck doesn't have a visual on. "Guys, she just slipped into one of the back rooms," Chuck informs his partners hastily.

"Okay," Sarah affirms, "Drake is on the move and I think they're meeting."

"Roger that," Chuck confirms. "I have eyes on Drake. He's heading for the kitchen. The meeting is happening now!"

"We're right behind him," Bryce assures calmly. "Don't panic." They tail Drake into the kitchen and he slips into the same room his 'girlfriend' did. "We're going to record the conversation through the GLG-20. Then flash and clear," Bryce informs Chuck.

"Roger that," Chuck responds as he watches Bryce and Sarah step up to the door of the room. Chuck watches intently as Bryce and Sarah stand on each side of the door and wait patiently. Chuck's eyes drift to a man in a black suit step into the kitchen. Chuck furrows his brow as the man doesn't look like he works there. The man slides his hand behind his back and produces a small black pistol. Chuck's eyes widen in shock. "Guys!" He hollers into the microphone. "Guys! You have an enemy coming from the kitchen! Sarah! Bryce!" Chuck yells frantically, but gets no response. He watches them casually waiting by the door. "Dammit! Guys! Can you hear me?" Both of them show no recognition that they heard him. "Shit," Chuck mutters as he throws the headset off his head, pockets his tranquilizer pistol, and rushes out of the van. Chuck sprints to the entrance, and to not attract attention, swiftly powerwalks through the art gala and towards the kitchen.

Sarah and Bryce make eye contact as they try to decide when the right time to flash the room is. They don't want to do it too early or the bug won't pick up enough information. But if they wait too long, the agents will open the door to leave.

Chuck steps into the kitchen and sees the man with the gun turning the corner to the hallway when one of the cooks shouts at Chuck, "you shouldn't be in here!"

Chuck and the man with the gun both look at the cook, then look at each other. The gunman's eyes narrow skeptically and Chuck swallows the lump in his throat.

"Oh boy," he mutters as he ducks behind a metal counter as the gunman turns his gun on Chuck.

"Oh my god," the cook steps back in utter fear.

The gunman calmly pulls out a CIA badge and displays it to the cook. "Federal agent," he informs the cook without taking his eyes off of Chuck's last known position. "Please calmly make your way out of the kitchen and do not alert anyone of my presence."

The cook nods impulsively as he is in complete shock as he slowly retreats backwards towards the kitchen doors and into the gala.

Chuck furrows his brow at hearing the man say he is a federal agent. _Is this an undercover agent? Or is it a Fulcrum agent posing as a federal agent? Fulcrum's known to do that._ Chuck argues in his mind before realizing he has a man with a gun trying to kill him. Chuck thinks deeply on the best way out of the situation as he stays crouched behind the counter. The gunman slowly walks around the counter with his gun aimed. Chuck looks under the counter and through the thin space just over the ground. He sees the gunman's feet walking around Chuck's right. Chuck makes his way around the left side so they switch positions. Chuck is about to pull out his tranquilizer pistol, but sees an assortment of pans in front of him. At such close range, it will be hard to get a clean shot, so a melee weapon will work better.

Chuck lifts the twelve inch skillet off the hook and grips the handle in his right hand. He peeks under the counter to see the gunman right on the other side of Chuck. The coincidence to the kitchen scene in Jurassic Park is not lost on him. He brandishes his tranquilizer pistol in his left hand and fires a shot through the gap between the counter and the floor. The dart sticks into the gunman's rubber shoe and he looks down in confusion, "what the?"

Chuck uses the distraction as he rolls over the counter feet first; his right leg scissor kicking the gunman toes-first in the left cheekbone. The gunman stumbles back into another metal counter and tries to lift his gun to shoot in the disorientation the kick to the cranium caused. Chuck quickly swipes the skillet pan across the gunman's hand; knocking the gun from his hand after making a sickening slap. "Ah!" The man grunts in pain as the gun goes skidding across the tiled floor and under one of the metal counters.

Chuck quickly swipes the pan back across his body while turning it so the sharp edge cuts into the gunman's head. The gunman falls to the floor as his forehead opens up with a large gash. Blood starts trickling out of the wound and Chuck quickly fires a tranquilizer dart into the man's neck. The man relaxes into an unconscious slumber from the sedative. Chuck digs into the man's pockets and finds the CIA badge he used to ward off the cook.

He opens the badge and sees the legitimate looking credentials when he feels a flash hit him.

_A group of people dancing the frug._

_Former CIA agent who quit six years ago._

_Mercenary contracts from numerous payers._

_A mercenary contract with Fulcrum._

_A group of people dancing the frug._

Chuck shakes off the flash as he looks back at the man with a furrowed brow. "What does Fulcrum want with mercenaries?" Chuck asks himself before realizing Bryce and Sarah are still on the mission.

"We go in five," Bryce whispers to Sarah. She nods back as he equips an M84 stun grenade that will blind and disorient the occupants of the room long enough for Sarah and Bryce to subdue them. "Five," he counts down. "Four… three… two… Chuck?" The last word is high-pitched and surprised.

"What?" Sarah furrows her brow as she follows Bryce's line of sight to see Chuck dragging a man down into the hallway and towards them. "Chuck," she whispers harshly. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"And who the hell is that?" Bryce hisses with the same agitation.

"Sorry, guys," Chuck heaves as he lets go of the body. "I tried to warn you on the mics but I think they used a jammer of some sorts and this guy was going to sneak up on you." He sighs again as he tries to catch his breath. "He may not look heavy, but have you ever tried to carry a body? Jeez, it's heavy," he wipes his forearm across his brow to wick away any sweat that accumulated.

Sarah just shakes her head in disbelief. Bryce then informs Chuck, "We're just about to flash the room."

"Go right ahead," Chuck replies casually. "If this guy doesn't bleed out, maybe he can give us some answers. Did you know he was a mercenary?" Chuck asks in complete curiosity as he crooks his head.

"We'll deal with that later," Bryce whispers as he gets back into position on the door. "Okay, let's try this again," he flashes a quick smile at Sarah. "Five… four… three… two… one."

Sarah opens the door just enough for the flashbang to slide into the crease and she quickly closes it. A muffled bang that sounds like a mattress fell a long ways down and landed perfectly on its bottom. "Go," Sarah directs as she pushes the door open with her pistol aimed forward.

Bryce and Sarah both step into the room to see Drake and his 'girlfriend' covering their ears as they stumble to the ground from the disorienting sound and flash of brightness. The liquid in their ears jarred from the piercing noise of the flashbang, which causes them to have no sense of balance as they blindingly tumble to the ground. Sarah quickly slaps on wrist ties over the 'girlfriend's' wrists after putting them behind her back. Bryce gets Duncan to the ground with a knee pressed into his lower back so Bryce can tie his hands behind his back with another set of zip ties.

Chuck walks into the room to see Bryce and Sarah hoisting their prizes to their feet. "Hey, one bad guy for each of us," Chuck quips with a charming smile. Sarah cannot help but let out a guffaw at Chuck's lighthearted joke.

**November 18, 2004**

Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce are back at Chuck's hotel room after delivering the three Fulcrum agents to a CIA facility for further 'questioning.' Chuck plugs the GLG-20 transmitter into the adapter and installs it into his laptop. The three agents all pool around in curiosity as they listen closely to the conversation that went on between the two Fulcrum agents. As the transmitter finishes installing, it plays the transmission instantly.

"_Let's get this over with,"_ a male voice says ominously.

"That's Drake," Chuck informs his partners.

"_Go right ahead,"_ a female voice says.

"And his girlfriend," Bryce declares with a tiny smirk.

"_The boss needs Zarnow now that the Cipher is gone,"_ Drake explains.

Chuck flashes instantly on hearing the name Zarnow.

_A mechanical clock._

_NSA scientist Dr. Jonas Zarnow._

_Codename Serpens._

_Zarnow trading government secrets with North Korea._

_A mechanical clock._

"Whoa," Chuck blinks off the remnants of the flash and pauses the recording. "Zarnow is an NSA scientist who's been feeding American science to North Korea for years. He's Serpens."

"Really?" Sarah looks at Chuck in surprise. "We need to find him then."

"Yea," Chuck agrees with a sigh before continuing the recording.

"_You mean Roark,"_ the 'girlfriend' corrects with venom in her tone. _"That pompous asshole needs to learn his female agents aren't his girlfriends."_

"_I know that,"_ Drake's grin can be heard in his tone. _"But he knows what he's doing and is close to rebuilding the Intersect."_

"_Alright,"_ the female sighs heavily. _"Zarnow is being holed up in Black Rock right now."_

Chuck immediately falls into a flash.

_A broken down deserted gas station with lime green walls._

_Fulcrum underground bunker._

_The coordinates 34° 53' 56.40".-117° 1' 19.20"_

_A broken down deserted gas station with lime green walls._

"Oh my god," Chuck mumbles at the revelation. "Black Rock is a codename for Protocol 7, a secret Fulcrum base in Barstow."

"That's amazing, Chuck," Sarah grins at him from how efficient the Intersect is.

"What can I say," Chuck shrugs nonchalantly with a big smile towards Sarah. Bryce narrows his eyes slightly at seeing the interaction between his partners. She seems to enjoy spending time with Chuck, and that is the exact opposite of what Bryce wants.

"_Is he still compliant?"_ Drake asks seriously.

"_Yea, we're still threatening to expose him for trading secrets to North Korea,"_ the woman laughs evilly. _"He would do anything to save his own ass, even if we're just going to eliminate him once it's complete."_

"_Good,"_ Drake's devious grin can be heard through his tone. _"The CIA has been getting too close to us, but with Zarnow, we should have it up and running in just a few months."_

"_And then we win,"_ the woman states proudly.

Chuck ends the feed and gazes at his partners with a grave expression. "This is not good," he muses fearfully. "A working Intersect in just a few months?"

"I know, Chuck," Sarah shares his sentiments with the same serious tone.

"We need to tell Graham about Black Rock," Bryce states quickly.

"Yea… and that Roark is the head of Fulcrum," Chuck adds in when his phone suddenly rings. He slides it out of his pocket to see a tiny picture of Ellie on the display. "Crap, it's my sister." He steps towards the balcony. "I'll just be a few minutes."

"Tell her I said hi," Sarah shouts excitedly. She rather enjoyed the company of Chuck's family and his sister took Sarah in as if they were suddenly sisters.

"I will," Chuck shoots a fleeting smile as he steps out to the balcony.

"We should wait until he is back before we alert Graham," Bryce suggests as he walks towards the bathroom.

"Okay," Sarah sits down on the couch as everyone disperses to their separate areas.

"Hey, El," Chuck says sincerely with a smile as he hasn't seen her since last time he was in Los Angeles.

"How'd you know it was me?" Ellie asks in surprise.

"Caller I.D.," Chuck supplies simply.

"Oh, I hope it's not too late," Ellie responds ruefully.

"No, it's fine," Chuck assures with his usual charming smile.

"Okay, well, I was just going over the wedding plans," a loud squeal from the phone piques Sarah's interests and causes her to crook her head towards the balcony. "And since Devon wants you to be one of the groomsmen," Ellie explains.

"I'd love to," Chuck assures with pride for his sister getting married and being extremely happy. If he's lucky enough, he can find his father and bring him to the wedding as a present for Ellie.

Sarah cannot help but let curiosity take over. She quietly stands up and presses her back against the inside wall adjacent to the balcony doors. She peeks her head out to see Chuck's back to her as he is looking over the mirage of lights that is Los Angeles while she eavesdrops on Chuck's conversation.

"Great," Ellie happily responds. "So, with you being a groomsmen, I was kind of hoping Sarah could be one of my bridesmaids so she'll be right across from you," Ellie explains in a nervous, but sincere tone.

"Wow, El," Chuck drawls in awe. "That's so sweet."

"Sarah is still your girlfriend, right?" Ellie insists more than asks.

"Uh… yes, Sarah is still my girlfriend," Chuck states although he hates lying to his sister.

"Good… and you like her, right?" Ellie again insists more than asks.

"Of course I like Sarah," Chuck sighs like it is the most obvious thing in the world. "She's fantastic."

Sarah cannot help but smile jovially at hearing Chuck compliment her. But she isn't sure if he is speaking from the heart or just lying to his sister. Sarah knows he hates lying to Ellie, but this is a case where it might be necessary. She feels an eccentric blanket of depression fall over her as she thinks Chuck is only just lying about her.

"So things are going good with her?" Ellie asks sweetly as she cares so much about her brother and the success he has in his personal life.

Chuck's mind flashes back to Bryce's insolent declaration, but so far hasn't seen any sign that he's been trying to woo Sarah. "Better than ever," he responds with feigned bliss. This is the first time Chuck wishes he could talk to someone about the spy life; someone who isn't a spy and will just listen to him like his sister has done for so many years of his life. "Oh, and she says hi."

"Tell her I said hi back. And good, because I really like her and you seem happy with her," Ellie responds joyously.

"Yea, I'll ask her if she'd like to be a bridesmaid," Chuck assures candidly.

Sarah's eyebrows shoot to the stars as she didn't expect that as she's only met Ellie and Devon once. Yet they already want her to be a bridesmaid? All her life she's never trusted anyone, and these people already trust her after one meeting. The spy life really is so different from a normal life.

"Great!" Ellie nearly squeals in joy. "I'll update you when we figure out the date so you can get some time off work. I miss you, Chuck."

"I miss you too, El," Chuck replies solemnly. He is only a twenty minute drive from his sister yet he cannot see her because he cannot tell her who he really works for. "Goodbye, sis. I love you."

"I love you too," Ellie responds just as sadly at having to end the conversation.

Sarah swiftly and silently sits back down on the couch as Chuck ends the call and walks into the room to see Sarah smiling innocently at him. "Hey," he smiles brightly at her. "Um… You don't have to say yes, although it would kind of mean a lot to my sister, but would you like to um… well be a bridesmaid for her wedding?"

"Uh… wow," Sarah acts surprised even though the surprise was ruined by her eavesdropping.

"I know," Chuck smiles ruefully. "My sister is a little forward."

"What about your sister?" Bryce asks curiously as he steps into the room.

"She asked Sarah to be a bridesmaid for the wedding," Chuck answers impartially.

"Oh, cool," Bryce nonchalantly muses.

"Don't worry," Chuck smiles disarmingly at Sarah, "you have plenty of time to decide."

"No, it's okay, Chuck," Sarah assures with a welcoming smile. "I'll do it."

"Really?" Chuck asks in utter surprise at how easily she accepted the notion.

"Yea," she nods with a subtle smile. "I've never been a bridesmaid before. Well, there was this one time… " She realizes she is getting into her past so she cuts the story short. "Let's just say I wasn't formally invited." She flashes a brilliantly innocent smile at Chuck.

"Um… okay," Chuck tries to fight off the grin forming on his face from the beautiful smile on such a gorgeous girl because her story was a bit worrying. "Just don't hurt anyone please," he jokingly pleads.

"I would never hurt your friends or family," Sarah states honestly.

"Great," Chuck exclaims happily. Not only is Ellie going to be thrilled, but he is thrilled himself. "And Bryce," Chuck smiles joyously at him, "you're obviously invited to the wedding."

"Thanks," Bryce replies dismissively as he thinks this is Chuck's way of competing for Sarah and it seems like Chuck is doing a good job so far. "We need to tell Graham what we've learned," he plops on the couch next to Sarah.

"Right," Chuck remembers after it totally slipped his mind from the wedding talk. He quickly slides on the other side of Sarah and pulls the laptop on his lap. He swiftly opens a secure channel to Graham and puts the laptop back on the table so Graham can see all of them.

"I just got word that you've detained three Fulcrum agents," Graham acknowledges as he looks up from the files on his desk.

"Yea, well, one was technically a mercenary but he was working for Fulcrum," Chuck explains airily.

"Sir, we've learned the identity of Serpens," Sarah explains.

"He is an NSA scientist who has been giving American science secrets to the North Koreans," Chuck continues Sarah's explanation.

"Dr. Jonas Zarnow," Bryce finishes. "He is being held in an underground base called Black Rock."

"It's in Barstow, California," Chuck explains. "I flashed on it and I know the exact coordinates. I'll upload them along with the conversation we recorded between Drake and another fulcrum agent."

"This is great news, team," Graham smiles subtly at how efficient they are. "I'll have a recon team search this Black Rock facility you speak of."

"Do you want us to infiltrate it?" Sarah asks curiously.

"No, at least not yet," Graham replies calmly. "We need to make sure Chuck's flash is correct before jumping to any conclusions."

"Oh!" Chuck finally remembers possibly the most important part. "I think Ted Roark is Fulcrum's leader."

"What?" Graham's eyes actually widen for maybe the first time ever.

"They called him the boss," Chuck explains honestly.

"This is better than I thought," Graham grins victoriously. "This eliminates the options of Roark being forced by Fulcrum."

"Shouldn't we arrest him?" Bryce asks curiously.

"We don't have enough evidence yet," Graham sighs despairingly. "All we have is what Chuck flashed on and what Drake and the other agent spoke about, which won't hold in a court of law."

"You're right," Chuck agrees as he goes over the conversation in his head. "They never labeled themselves as Fulcrum."

"Court?" Bryce scoffs incredulously. "He doesn't deserve to go to court! He's trying to take over the government!"

"That's the difference between Fulcrum and us," Graham states with confidence and seriousness. "They will stop at nothing to gain power. No matter how inhumane they may be, we live by the Constitution and everyone deserves a fair trial."

"Yes, sir," Chuck nods enthusiastically. "I'll send the recording and coordinates over right now."

"Alright," Graham responds calmly. "I want you on a flight back to D.C. tomorrow and your tickets will be at the airport. The flight leaves at 0900 hours," Graham explains and then ends the feed.

Chuck pulls the laptop over his lap and sends the recording and coordinates of Black Rock to Graham on a secure network. He closes his laptop after finishing the transfer of data and places his laptop on the table. He gazes out towards the balcony as his mind reverts back to his sister and how he hasn't seen her in a while. His expression turns gloomy as he ponders all the lying, omitting, and complications that the spy life has caused him.

"Chuck?" Sarah asks quietly; breaking his line of thought.

"Yea?" He turns to look at her, but his expression is still gloomy.

"Is everything alright?" She asks humbly as she gazes into his innocent brown eyes.

"Yea, it's just…" he sighs heavily. "I hate lying to my sister. She practically raised me and I can't even tell her I'm in L.A." He shakes his head dramatically as he looks into her thunderstorm eyes. "She still thinks we're dating… which isn't even remotely real. It's just… she deserves better than this."

Sarah kept quiet the entire time as she listened intently to his words. She has never felt any of the feelings he is going through because she had no one to lie to. She hasn't seen her father since he was arrested and their relationship still wasn't even the strongest of bonds. She was originally envious of Chuck having people to care about him, but now she sees the downside of that in the spy life. She's never felt like she was hurting someone else like Chuck feels he is doing to his sister. She knew from the beginning Chuck was going to have a difficult time being a spy because he was so honest and innocent, but she hates how it is changing him. She still remembers the first time she saw him and his large goofy smile that just brightened her day unlike anything else.

"Chuck," she finally speaks quietly, "if you want to see your sister tonight, I'll keep you company." She knows it isn't the best idea to create another lie, but she can tell he misses his sister deeply. "We can say that a wealthy client that lives out here asked for our help exclusively."

Chuck ruefully smiles at Sarah. "Thank you, Sarah," he tactfully states in a humble tone. "But I don't want to lie to her." He drops his head shamefully. "It's better she doesn't know than to just create another lie."

"I'm sorry, Chuck," Sarah knew her mistake the minute she suggested it, but she just wants to help raise Chuck's spirits. "I shouldn't have…"

"No, it's not your fault, Sarah," Chuck gazes at her with blinding conviction and a pleasant smile. "You were only being a caring friend," he smiles subtly at her.

_Do I care about Chuck?_ Sarah asks herself in alarm. She doesn't want her feelings to get in the way of the job, but she cannot help but feel close to Chuck. He is such a charming, sweet man who has done nothing but impress her with his gentility and selflessness towards her and others. Chuck is easily the best friend she's ever had. _But is it bad to have a personal friendship with him? Because I do care about him… just like he cares about me._ Sarah decides to just smile genuinely at him, but decides to refrain from speaking.

Bryce crooks his head ever so slightly at seeing the deeply emotional connection Chuck and Sarah just showed. It does anger him that she is investing herself into Chuck, but he may be able to use this against Chuck. Emotional entanglements are only going to cause complications in the future missions.

**This is getting bad. Not only did Modern Warfare 3 come out, but I was also allowed to join the beta for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Then there is the fact I have an essay due that I haven't started. I can only hope I can finish the next chapter in time, but no promises.**

**Please review.**


	21. Changing Tides

**Thanks for the reviews so far. They've kept me wanting to write this story in a reasonable fashion and speed. I am cutting it close with not having the next chapter complete yet, but I have faith in myself because you guys have faith in me, right? ...Right? ...Guys? …Fine, be like that. I don't care about you.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**November 19, 2004**

The team is meeting in Graham's office for their next mission. Orion has yet to send the laptop, which has taken a backseat to stopping Fulcrum in Chuck's mind. The three agents find their respected seats across from Graham, who is sitting in consternation. "We've scouted out the coordinates of this Black Rock," Graham explains seriously. "But we didn't find anything. It is just an abandoned drive-in theatre."

"But I flashed on it," Chuck argues quickly. "Are you sure you got the coordinates? It was underground."

"We used thermal imaging and nothing came up," Graham reasons.

"But it's there. I know it!" Chuck pleads as the Intersect has never been wrong before. "Is it possible that it is deep enough that the thermal imaging can't pick it up? Maybe the walls are too thick?"

"Chuck," Graham sighs as he tries to calm the ambitious young agent, "not every piece of intel we gather is completely accurate."

"You're saying the Intersect is wrong then?" Chuck asks incredulously as he cannot believe Graham doesn't trust him.

"In this case… yes," Graham states boldly with full eye contact.

"It can't be," Chuck protests dismissively. "Let us take a small team there and investigate. We can't let Fulcrum build their own Intersect! We can't let them win!"

"I understand your passion… and admire it," Graham declares calmly. "But we cannot risk it. We need to focus on gathering evidence on Roark being the head of Fulcrum."

"With all due respect, this is crap, sir," Chuck grumbles as he crosses his arms and leans back; averting his gaze from anyone in the room.

Graham chooses to ignore Chuck for the moment to let him calm down. After a few seconds, Graham finally continues in a calm voice, "There is no mission at the moment. I *advise* you," he sternly glances at Chuck, "to get some rest… pick up a hobby."

"Yes, sir," Bryce and Sarah nod. Chuck sighs heavily as he reluctantly accepts Graham's orders.

"You are dismissed," Graham states and the three agents stand up and leave the office.

"Chuck?" Sarah asks gently as she softly grips his left forearm.

"Yea?" He asks apathetically without looking back at her.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he answers dismissively as he keeps walking.

Sarah sighs as she knows Chuck is just being closed off so she needs to do something about it. "Bryce, I'm gonna take Chuck to get some coffee," she informs their mutual partner. "We'll see you at your apartment."

"Um… okay," Bryce nonchalantly answers as he fingers his car keys.

"Let's go, Chuck," Sarah leads him towards her car. "I'll drive," she states boldly with no room for argument.

**November 19, 2004**

Sarah sits down at the raised coffee table across from Chuck. She slides over a medium-sized cup of hot coffee. "Just relax and talk to me, Chuck," she demands before taking a sip of her coffee.

"You're trying to get me to relax with coffee?" Chuck quips incredulously.

"Oh shut up," Sarah rolls her eyes before becoming humble and serious. "Please, Chuck, just tell me what's going on in that brain of yours."

Chuck looks up from his hunched position and into her stormy eyes. She is completely serious and will not deal with any dancing around the truth. He sighs heavily in defeat, "It's just," he looks down at his coffee, "We can't let them win, Sarah. We have to stop them."

"And Black Rock is our best chance?" Sarah questions as she tries to read her friend's mind.

"Yes," Chuck huffs exasperatedly. "Right now, Zarnow is creating an Intersect. If he gets it to work and it comes online?" Chuck queries in bewilderment. "I don't even want to know what would happen. We'd lose, Sarah," he declares gravely. "We can't let that happen."

Sarah studies Chuck's body language and expression throughout his speech and finally realizes that Chuck may be the most patriotic person she has ever met. Not patriotic in the sense of loving America and wearing American flag clothing, but he would do anything to protect this country from being overtaken. She reaches over and takes his right hand in her left hand; her thumb instantly massaging back and forth over the back of his palm. "I know," she barely whispers as she looks up into his brown eyes swirling with relief, seriousness, and adoration. "We're not going to let them win," she elaborates as her voice strengthens.

"But we're just sitting here enjoying coffee while they are planning to take over," Chuck argues truthfully. "We're just sitting on our asses and they're working diligently."

"Just because we're enjoying coffee doesn't mean we've given up," Sarah debates with a subtle smile. "Do you know how many analysts are crunching data and finding intel on how to stop Fulcrum? Chuck," her smile widens slightly, "everything we've done so far, capturing Tommy Delgado, the bug in the Fulcrum building in L.A., recovering the Cipher; Chuck, everything we've done is bringing us closer to stopping them. You just need patience."

Chuck cannot help but smile mirthfully at Sarah. She is so absolutely sexy when she is determined and confident. Every point she made makes perfect sense to Chuck.

"What?" Sarah demands playfully as she stifles a grin.

"You're kind of cute when you're all serious like that," Chuck responds airily.

Sarah's grin not only emerges, but it becomes a full blown out smile; gorgeous white teeth glimmering eloquently. "Thank you," she says bashfully, "but no changing the subject. Do you trust me, Chuck?"

"Of course," he answers immediately without any hesitation; nodding to emphasize how true his word is.

"We're going to stop Fulcrum," she declares confidently. "We're not going to lose."

Chuck smiles brightly at her; his anger and melancholy now replaced with hope and optimism. "I like you, Sarah," he proclaims honestly in a reverent tone as he squeezes her hand affectionately.

Sarah's smile falters ever so slightly as she remembers Bryce's words about how she shouldn't care for Chuck in a personal way, and how he enjoys casual sex with other people, which doesn't suit her preferences. "What about Jesse?" Sarah blurts out accidentally as she only wanted to ask herself the question. She doesn't feel like it is her business to poke into Chuck's personal life.

"What about her?" Chuck furrows his brow deeply and crooks his head.

Sarah realizes she just dug herself in a deep hole and the only way out is the truth. "It's just… Bryce said some things…"

"Bryce?" Chuck's expression darkens suddenly. "What did he say?" He nearly demands coldly.

"Well," Sarah leans back at how quickly Chuck's mood and expression has shifted, "he said that you and Jesse are, and I quote 'friends with benefits.'"

"What?" Chuck flinches back in astonishment.

"Chuck," Sarah tries to smile away his anger, "it's fine. I don't have a problem with it. Casual sex just isn't my thing."

"Jesse and I are just friends," Chuck declares adamantly. "There is nothing more between her and I then there is between Bryce and I."

"So, you guys never had sex?" Sarah is appalled that Bryce would lie about that. _Why badmouth your best friend?_ Sarah asks herself curiously.

"We did once," Chuck grunts out in agitation as he holds up a single erect finger. "Back at the Farm when we were still trainees," Chuck says under his breath. "It was a mistake," he looks down shamefully. "I was in a dark place… after passing the torture training."

Sarah grips his hand tightly; thoughts of Chuck being harmed for no reason clouding her vision. "It's okay," she whispers humbly. "We all had to go through it…" Sarah blinks away tears that are forming from remembering when she had woken up strapped to a chair in a warm, musty room. She then proceeded to be hit and pummeled for the next hour. Sarah feels a tremor course through her body and Chuck feels it cross her body and into his from their clasped hands like an electrical current.

Chuck looks up to see the sullen look on Sarah's face. "I'm sorry," Chuck uses his free left hand to envelope her right hand into a caring embrace between both his hands. Chuck had Bryce there to help him; he had Jesse there to help him through the nightmares. Sarah had no one to help her rid herself of the nightmares.

"Don't be," she glances at the warmth comforting her cold hand and then up into Chuck's eyes. "We did what was necessary to get to this point in our lives."

"Sarah," Chuck states humbly, "if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be there for you."

"Thank you, Chuck," she smiles genuinely at him.

"No, thank you, Sarah," Chuck responds honestly. "I needed this. I wasn't thinking right."

"What are friends for?" Sarah quips happily; excited that she can openly call Chuck a friend.

"Apparently some friends are for lying to others," Chuck responds agitatedly as he needs to get to the bottom of Bryce's lying. "Whatever Bryce said about me was a lie," he declares seriously. "And I think I know why."

**November 19, 2004**

Chuck steps into his apartment to see Bryce apathetically flipping through the channels while sitting on the couch. Bryce barely gives Chuck a glance and turn of the head before continuing to lazily flip through channels. Chuck narrows his eyes at his friend and roommate. "Bryce," Chuck states with an edge that informs Bryce that Chuck is gravely serious.

"Yea?" Bryce turns to give Chuck maybe a third of his attention.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Chuck demands in almost a hiss.

"Trying to find something on TV," Bryce replies with a raised eyebrow as he doesn't understand why Chuck would ask such a dumb question.

"Bryce," Chuck steals Bryce's attention with a stern tone, "why would you lie to Sarah about me?"

"What do you mean?" Bryce asks innocently.

"You told her Jesse and I were friends with benefits?" Chuck throws his arms up in the air in exasperation. "What the hell? We're nothing more than friends! Why would you tell Sarah that? Or is this part of your stupid fucking conquest of getting every beautiful girl you know into bed with you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bryce states, but his devious smirk gives him away.

"Just stop it!" Chuck shouts irately. "This isn't some race; some competition! I thought you were just kidding about trying to get with Sarah… but lying about me to her? That's low," Chuck states with a sickeningly disgusted voice as he shakes his head at his partner. "Real low, even for your standards." Bryce is about to retort but the doorbell rings. "I'll get it," Chuck turns around and opens the door forcefully as the anger is still coursing through his veins. "What is it?" He asks as he swings the door fully open.

"Um… a package for one, Charles I. Bartowski," the man in brown cargo pants and a brown cargo shirt asks slightly nervously at seeing the scowl on Chuck's face.

"Uh, yea, that's me," Chuck softens instantly as he realizes this man didn't do anything to deserve the hatred seeping from Chuck's pores at the moment. "What is it?" Chuck asks curiously.

"Don't know," the man shrugs unknowingly as he hands a clipboard and pen to Chuck. "The label said 'electronics.' Maybe a computer or something?"

Chuck's eyes widen for a brief second when he realizes it must be Orion's laptop that he said he was going to send. Chuck will finally be able to contact his father. "Okay," Chuck anxiously signs the clipboard and hands it back. He takes the laptop from the delivery man and smiles graciously. "Thank you, have a good day."

"You too," the delivery man tips his brown hat and turns down the hallway.

"What's that?" Bryce asks the instant Chuck closes the door behind him; acting as if the conversation a minute ago didn't happen.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Chuck spits out venomously as he takes the package into his room. He surprised himself with how distasteful his tone was, and it even left a bad taste in his mouth. But Bryce needs to understand that not everything is a game and there are consequences to his actions.

Chuck lets out a loud long breath as he opens the tin safe box that houses the computer. He opens it to reveal a sleek black hull with LED lights coursing through it like veins. "Cool," Chuck murmurs in awe. His dad was always a science fiction fanatic so it doesn't surprise Chuck how the aesthetics of the laptop look and it even has a bit of a Tron feel to it. Regardless to how it looks, Chuck pulls it out of the box and inspects all its facets carefully. "Alright, Dad," Chuck states to the computer, "Time to figure things out."

Chuck opens the laptop and presses the 'on' button. The LED lights course through the computer in a bright green that shows the computer is running optimally. After only a few seconds of loading, the lit black screen displays the words:

"_Identify Yourself."_

"Uh… Chuck Bartowski?" Chuck asks unsurely.

"_Please hold still."_

A green light shines through the video camera at the center just above the screen. "Uh…" Chuck flinches slightly.

"_Hold still."_ The computer urges.

Chuck holds himself steady as the green light traces up and down his face.

"_Identity confirmed."_

"_Hello, Charles. I'm glad you received my computer."_

"Dad," Chuck starts as he feels himself choking up at just talking to a computer.

"_Hold on, Son."_ The computer displays and Chuck stops midsentence.

The screen fills up with white numbers and letters that are oddly similar to the Matrix. Suddenly, the numbers move to show a silhouette of a man. "Charles, it is so good to see your face again," Orion states as he tries his best not to get choked up.

"Dad, I have so many questions," Chuck explains as he feels the tears of being apart for so many years threatening to emerge.

"I know, son," Stephen replies humbly. "And they will all be answered soon. Charles, I would really like to meet you in person. I'm in D.C. right now," Stephen explains emotionally.

"Really? Right now?" Chuck questions in surprise.

"Yes, meet me here and I'll answer all your questions. Goodbye, Charles," as Stephen's voice drifts off, the screen changes to a blank black screen with the simple words of an address on it in bold yellow letters.

_346 Warwick Street_

_Washington, D.C._

_20505_

"Um… okay," Chuck stutters out, but he doesn't get a response. Chuck closes the laptop and slides it into his messenger bag. His thoughts are in total disarray. _I can't believe I'm going to finally see my dad again, _Chuck thinks anxiously as he starts putting on his jacket. _This is almost too good to be true… Is it?_ Chuck worriedly questions the negative possibilities. _Could this be a Fulcrum trap? But Fulcrum doesn't know I'm the Intersect, and they sure as hell don't know my dad is Orion._ Chuck paces back and forth in his room as he fiddles with the zipper of his jacket. _What to do… What to do…_ Chuck quickly grabs his phone and dials a number from heart. On the second ring, the person answers.

"Hello?" the female voice asks curiously. "Chuck?"

"Um… hi, Sarah," Chuck responds sheepishly. "Don't be mad at me but… I kind of just contacted my dad."

"What?" Sarah nearly bellows in astonishment.

"Yea... and he kind of wanted to meet me in person," Chuck carefully explains with pauses between each word. "I kind of thought it would be helpful to at least have some protection just in case for the worst."

"Chuck!" Sarah admonishes. "Call Graham and tell him!"

"No!" Chuck retorts adamantly. "Please don't tell Graham. I don't know if I can trust him."

"He's our boss," Sarah explains matter-of-factly.

"Yea, but he just wants to use my Dad. I can't let that happen to him," Chuck confesses emotionally. "Please, Sarah, I trust you more than anyone else right now."

"What about Bryce?" Sarah questions, slightly shocked by his heartfelt confession.

"We're not exactly on good terms right now," Chuck responds with a brewing hatred for the name. "Please, Sarah, will you help me or not?"

"Alright," Sarah sighs heavily, "Chuck, I'll pick you up from your apartment. Meet me downstairs in ten minutes."

"Thank you, Sarah," Chuck graciously sighs in relief.

**November 19, 2004**

The brisk cold air causes the night to feel chillier than usual. Sarah and Chuck step out of her Porsche and start walking towards the address Orion left them, an apartment building. "Thank you for coming with me, Sarah," Chuck confesses humbly.

"It is my job to protect you wherever you go, right?" Sarah quips with a grin.

Chuck returns the grin enthusiastically. "Yea," he sighs joyously.

"Are you sure you can trust your dad?" Sarah asks seriously.

"I don't see why he would ever want to hurt me," Chuck replies with conviction. "I just want some answers."

"You know we really should tell Graham about this," Sarah suggests rightfully. "Orion can really change the tide of our fight with Fulcrum."

"I know," Chuck sighs. "I just don't want Graham enslaving my father and forcing him to build him another Intersect."

"Chuck," Sarah demands his gaze, "we're not the enemies. We're not Fulcrum. We can't legally force him to help."

"I guess," Chuck halfheartedly agrees as they arrive at the building. They enter and take residence on the second floor of the seedy apartment. Chuck opens the laptop and waits patiently. After a few minutes, the laptop beeps to gain the two agents' attention.

'_I told you to come alone.'_ The computer reads in the bold yellow letters.

"Well, seeing as how I don't know if I can trust you," Chuck replies to the computer, "I'm entitled to have company."

The computer replaces the older words with:_ 'I told you not to trust her.'_

"I trust Sarah more than I trust you, *dad*," he states the last word with reserved anger. Sarah's eyes widen slightly at his honest confession.

After a pause of tension, the computer screen displays, _'Fine. Is it clear?'_

"Yes," Chuck states truthfully.

After a minute, Chuck notices someone out on the empty street in a trench coat and a Stetson fedora through the window. Chuck watches as the man walks to the apartment building and enters it. A few seconds later, the door to the apartment opens to reveal the man in the trench coat and hat. Sarah has her gun aimed as he enters, but Chuck calmly waives her down. Orion enters the apartment and closes the door behind him. Chuck and Sarah watch carefully as he removes his hat to reveal his face from the shadow of the brim. "Charles," he smiles charmingly.

Chuck's eyes slightly widen at seeing his father again. He knew that Orion was his father and that he was meeting him, but it never sunk in until now. He is frozen in place and not sure what to say.

Sarah looks between the elder and younger Bartowski; the elder unsurely gazing at the younger while the younger is staring in silent bewilderment. "Hi, I'm Sarah," Sarah breaks the silence as she shakes Orion's hand.

"Stephen," Orion smiles sincerely. "I've heard about you, Agent Walker."

"I hope that's a good thing," Sarah responds sweetly.

"Yes, it is. And thank you for keeping my son safe." Stephen looks back at his son. "Charles," he walks up to Chuck and places a fatherly hand on Chuck's shoulder, "It's so good to see you again." He cautiously pulls Chuck into a hug and Chuck finally breaks from his trance and holds his father tightly.

"Dad," Chuck whispers emotionally as he starts to tear up, "I've missed you so much."

"I missed you too, son," Stephen holds his only son closely.

Sarah steps back as she watches the family reunion carefully. She hasn't seen her father in almost a year because he is still in a state penitentiary for another two years. She misses his comforting voice and his fatherly care of her and getting scoops of rocky road ice cream. She also misses being called 'darling' from him. She doesn't know why, but it just made her feel special when he called her that.

"Dad," Chuck finally releases the embrace, "how could you be Orion? Why did you leave us?"

"I'm sorry, son," Stephen drops his head shamefully. "I'll answer all your questions, but first I want to remove the Intersect from your head," he looks back up with determination.

"Wait? What?" Chuck asks flabbergasted. "Can you even do that? I don't want it removed."

"What do you mean you don't want it removed?" Stephen replies in surprise.

"Dad, I'm doing good work here. I'm saving lives," Chuck reasons honestly and as if it means everything to him.

"You were never meant to get the Intersect, Charles," Stephen confesses solemnly. "It was never meant for you."

"But it works for me," Chuck retorts incredulously that his father would try to make him remove it. "I have to do this, dad."

"No you don't, Charles," Stephen replies calmly with a subtle smile. "Let someone else hold the burden of the Intersect."

"There is no one else!" Chuck nearly shouts.

"But why does it have to be you?" Stephen ripostes with just as loud a tone. "You were never supposed to get involved in the spy life. I never wanted this for you," Stephen sighs sadly as he cannot look his son in the eyes.

"Well, I don't think what you want means anything when you left over ten years ago," Chuck retorts with resenting venom. He sees Orion lower his head and even sees Sarah flinch at how harsh his words were. "I'm sorry," Chuck sighs heavily. "I lost my temper."

"No, no, you're right," Stephen nods as he holds his hand up to halt Chuck's speech. "I don't deserve to have any say in your life. I am a horrible father. And you've done fine without me."

A tense silence fills the room and Sarah tries to get Chuck to say something, but he cannot seem to read the widened eyed expression she is giving him. Suddenly, Orion slides up his sleeve and starts tapping on his… watch? Sarah isn't certain what it is, but it is like a small computer on his wrist. "Fulcrum is closing in on our position," Stephen states strictly. "We need to get out of here. Follow me."

"What?" Chuck breaks out of his silence to glare with widened eyes.

"We need to move… now!" Stephen demands gravely.

Sarah jumps into action and grabs Chuck by the wrist. "What's our exit?" She asks as her spy persona takes control of the situation.

"Get to the roof," Stephen explains hastily as he closes the laptop and slips it under his arm. "Jump to the next building and down the stairs." He pulls out two sticks of C4 from his pockets and hides them in the room.

"Let's go," Sarah pulls Chuck along as she follows Orion out the door of the apartment and up the stairs. Stephen shoulders the door open and they get to the roof. Sarah peeks a glance over the edge and sees a total of fifteen men in black sprinting towards the entrance of the building. _Shit, how did Fulcrum find us?_ Sarah asks herself tersely.

"You ready?" Stephen looks back at the two agents. Chuck, finally out of his phase, nods and glances at Sarah.

"Thank you," he gives her a fleeting smile before a confident mask forms over his face.

Sarah cannot help but feel excitement course through her body as she grins back. She quickly nods and dons a similar mask of confidence as Orion takes their expressions as recognition and sprints off the building and into what looks like oblivion. "You go first," Sarah pushes Chuck and he wants to make sure she is safe too, but he knows she is only looking out for the Intersect. Chuck quickly sprints in his father's footsteps and leaps off the building. Sarah quickly traces Chuck and as she sets her feet for her lunge, she hears the roof door slam open. She hurdles across the five foot gap between the two buildings and lands in a quick roll only eight feet lower than the last building and out of the line of sight of any Fulcrum agents.

"Let's go," Stephen whispers as he holds the roof access door open for Chuck and Sarah to step through. "Do you guys have transportation?" He asks as they race down the stairs at a quick pace.

"Sarah has her Porsche," Chuck replies as he gets to the ground floor.

"Good," Stephen expresses his opinion as they hold still at the exit towards the street. Chuck peeks through the ajar door to see if the coast is clear. "I hope you don't mind giving a regretful father a ride," Stephen smiles charmingly towards Sarah.

"It's fine," she assures with her own small grin.

"We're clear," Chuck informs them and steps out and they sprint around the corner and find Sarah's black Porsche parked alone on the street.

Sarah pulls her keys from her pocket and unlocks the car remotely. Chuck opens the door and climbs into the back. Stephen stands outside and starts fiddling with his little wrist computer as Sarah gets in and starts the engine. "Dad! Get in!" Chuck demands hastily.

"One sec, son," he mindlessly responds as he presses a few more buttons on his wrist and a muffled explosion breaks the quiet air and a wave of heat blankets them. Stephen steps in the car and slams the door shut. "Hit it," he tells Sarah. She doesn't have to be asked twice as she races away from the scene. Chuck gets a quick glimpse of a fiery inferno caverned in where the apartment last resided.

"You blew them up?" Chuck asks in shock.

"I had to," Stephen replies simply. "They've been getting too close. I hate the idea of killing, but I had to stop them dead in their tracks. I think they tracked the computer to the apartment," he explains seriously.

"That means they know where Bryce and I live," Chuck realizes with horrible fear and widened eyes.

"Don't worry, son," Stephen flashes a brief smile of tranquility, "they didn't have an accurate location until the apartment." Stephen can see the confusion on Chuck's face. "That's the beauty of this little baby," Stephen holds up his left wrist and displays his little wrist computer. "It's only a Mark One prototype and I've been working on getting it to display real-time mapping, but haven't been able to yet. But it can remotely detonate explosives," he explains optimistically. "I also ran interference on Fulcrum's systems to delay the trace on the computer's destination for long enough that your apartment will be safe. I'm still working out all the kinks though," Stephen finishes with a shrug that shows he is impressed with himself, but not trying to act boastful.

"That's… pretty awesome," Chuck surprises himself with that answer, but it is truly the most honest answer he has. Nothing he has ever seen could compare to something so technologically advanced and futuristic. His father truly is a genius.

"Ori—Stephen," Sarah speaks up for the first time since taking off, "we're fighting a war against Fulcrum and the CIA could really use your help."

"What exactly does Graham want to do with the Intersect?" Stephen asks reservedly, as he originally ran away because he found out what they were planning on doing with it.

"He hasn't told us the details," Chuck speaks up.

"Yea, that's because he just wants an army of Intersect soldiers at his disposal," Stephen chides agitatedly. "He's not better than Roark."

"Wait!" Chuck bellows in wonderment. "You know that Roark controls Fulcrum?"

"Roark and I used to be roommates," Stephen explains bitterly. "He practically stole all my ideas."

"What do you mean?" Chuck asks with a furrowed brow.

"Everything he's accomplished is from my work," Stephen explains exasperatedly. "He's been looking for me for two years now. He is power-hungry on getting a working Intersect."

"Did you ever work with a Doctor Zarnow?" Chuck asks curiously.

"Zarnow," Stephen muses in a reminiscing tone. "Yea, he was always afraid to take risks."

"Well Roark has him in an underground base in Barstow," Chuck explains seriously. "He thinks Zarnow can build him an Intersect."

"Zarnow doesn't have the skills to build it," Stephen clarifies. "He was only a technician on designing the data in each image."

"What does that mean if Fulcrum is forcing him to build them an Intersect?" Chuck asks slightly worriedly.

"That means Zarnow is living on borrowed time," Stephen replies gravely.

**The next chapter will be updated a day later than my usual Sunday morning update if I finish it in time. I do have a life, albeit small, to attend to.**

**Please review.**


	22. Navy Sealing It

**Well, I have to apologize for the long break I took. First, I went out of town and then a day after getting back, I went home for turkey time, so I haven't had much time to write. I really hope I can get back into my usual schedule of updating, but nearing the end of the semester calls for extra participation in finals… I know, how ridiculous is it to actually do work outside of class? So, I cannot promise that I can update it as often as I hope, but I have started the next chapter and have it outlined in my head. I wanted to get this out so you guys don't completely forget about this story.**

**Thanks for all the reviews so far. They are an inspiration to all of us authors. I don't use the term "writer" because it doesn't apply to all of us… *ahem* me *ahem*.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**November 19, 2004**

The balding Fulcrum agent pulls his phone out of his pocket and brings it to his ear. He looks over the massacre that was once an apartment; the wall is completely blown out, the furniture is scarred with black ash and fiery remains, and the agents caught in the blast are virtually indescribable. The man sighs heavily at how close they were, but failed yet again. And Orion took out more of his guys. As the voice on the other side of the phone answers, the Fulcrum agent states glumly, "Sir, Orion escaped." He steels himself, ready for the backlash from his boss.

"What do you mean escaped?" Ted Roark shouts angrily. "You said you had his location pinpointed! Damn it Vincent; this isn't how this is supposed to go."

"I believe Orion had help from the CIA," Vincent explains gravely. "He wasn't alone. He was meeting someone."

"Damn it," Roark grunts through gritted teeth. "Vincent, I didn't bring you back to life to give me bad news! I want Orion and I want him now! Find me Stephen Bartowski!"

"Yes, sir," Vincent states enthusiastically.

**November 19, 2004**

Chuck opens the door to his apartment and Bryce immediately asks curiously, "where've you been?" When he sees Stephen/Orion step in behind Chuck, his eyes widen in surprise. "You...? Orion?"

"Agent Larkin," Stephen charmingly grins as he shakes Bryce's flabbergasted hand. "Call me Stephen."

"What? We've been looking for you," Bryce replies, still in shock.

"I'm aware of it," Stephen quips as he sits down on the couch.

"Chuck," Bryce states with an edge as he looks at his roommate, "can I talk to you in private?"

"Uh… sure," Chuck shrugs as he follows Bryce into his room, leaving Sarah and Stephen alone.

The instant Chuck steps into the room, Bryce pushes him against the door with his forearm pressing into Chuck's throat. "Why the hell did you go on a mission without me?" Bryce spits out venomously. "We're a team."

"If we were a team, then you wouldn't have started some stupid competition to get Sarah into bed," Chuck replies with the same hatred in his tone as he doesn't fight Bryce's forcefulness against his throat.

"How am I supposed to protect you if you go out on impromptu missions without me?" Bryce replies angrily that he was left out as he releases Chuck and paces to the back of his room before turning back to Chuck.

"Sarah was there," Chuck offers as he rubs his neck in exasperation.

"The whole point is that we're both here to protect you," Bryce retorts in a hiss. "Does Graham even know that we have Orion with us?"

"Not yet," Chuck replies tersely. "But I need to learn Graham's intentions before giving up my Dad to the CIA."

"Your dad can help us win this war!" Bryce exclaims in an incredulous huff.

"I know, but he's my father. We may not be on the best terms, but I'm not about to willingly give him up to create Graham his dream team of Intersects." Chuck sighs heavily before lowering his voice to a soft hopeful tone, "Bryce, please… don't tell Graham until we get all the details. That's all I ask."

Bryce fights the demons inside him between his sense of duty and sense of friendship as he takes a thoughtful pause. "We can't keep this secret for very long. Graham will find out."

"I know, and when he does, I want it on our terms. Not his," Chuck replies gratefully and confidently.

"Fine," Bryce huffs in resignation.

"Thank you," Chuck replies breathily as they walk out of the room to join Sarah and Stephen. "Sorry about that," Chuck replies lightly as he sits on the couch in between Sarah and Stephen.

"It's fine," Stephen waives cordially. "I was just telling Sarah how I practically designed your TV."

"Yea, I flashed on some of your old schematics," Chuck replies mirthfully as he glances at his 32" plasma television and then to Stephen.

"Only one of the many cool things I put in the Intersect," Stephen replies haughtily.

"I still can't believe my own father built the Intersect," Chuck says in an awed tone to no one in particular.

"Technically, I didn't build it myself," Stephen replies before donning a proud smirk. "Just the really cool parts."

"So, what are we supposed to tell Graham?" Bryce asks reservedly as he leans against the wall with crossed arms.

"I think it is best if we learn his intentions first," Chuck explains. "Until then, Dad, will it be safe if you stay here with us? We have an extra bedroom."

"As long as I don't connect to the internet, I should be fine for a few weeks," Stephen replies gratefully. "Thank you for the offer, Charles."

"No problem, Dad," Chuck grins at his father. He is still surprised to be speaking to his father face-to-face after so many years.

**November 19, 2004**

Chuck and Sarah leisurely walk over to her car after Chuck offered to walk her to her car. "Thank you, Sarah," Chuck declares with all his heart. "Thank you for trusting me and helping me save my Dad."

"It's no problem, Chuck," Sarah flashes him one of her magnificently dazzling smiles as she whips her hair to gaze at him.

"I know," Chuck sighs quietly. "But you didn't have to do anything. You could've called Graham immediately, but you didn't. Thank you for not just being a great partner, but being a great friend too," he pronounces from deep inside his heart. He does see Sarah as one of his best friends and to have her trust means so much to him.

"You're welcome, Chuck," Sarah replies simply and quietly. She actually has to choke back her emotions as she has never heard a speech so honest and gracious. She is thrilled that Chuck could trust her with his family. No one has ever shown her such sincerity in her life.

"Goodnight, Sarah," Chuck smiles sadly as he wishes she didn't have to go. "Be safe out there. And if you ever need someone to talk to… or just help with anything, feel free to call me," he states with the utmost honesty and truth. "It's the least you deserve."

"Okay," Sarah offers him a subtle grin as she opens her car door. "Goodnight, Chuck… and thank you for trusting me," she whispers the last part as she steps into her car and closes the door, but Chuck heard her and he cannot help but smile in admiration. Chuck watches her with the same admiring look as she drives off into the blackness of night.

**November 19, 2004**

Chuck walks into the open door of the guest bedroom to see his father arranging the pillows on the bed. "Is there anything you need?" Chuck asks humbly as he leans against the doorframe.

"No, this is more than enough, Charles," Stephen replies calmly and gratefully. "I know we aren't exactly on the best of terms, but I'm happy for you son. You've really made something out of your life; even if you are a spy." Chuck grins subtly as he steps deeper into the room. "My son went to Stanford," Stephen grins proudly as he squeezes Chuck's shoulder happily. Chuck cannot help but smile at his father. Even after all the years of separation, he is still his father and will always be. "Charles, I know you're successful, but please, I would love to know about Eleanor."

"Ellie is great, dad," Chuck replies happily as he sits on the edge of the bed. "She's actually getting married soon."

"Married?" Stephen flinches in surprise.

"Yea, to a… well, an awesome guy," Chuck affirms confidently. "She's a doctor at Westside Medical Hospital and Devon, the guy she's marrying, is also a heart surgeon there."

"Ellie did always love medicine," Stephen muses in admiration.

"Yea, ever since you got her the stethoscope when she was seven," Chuck grins as he reminisces about the simple, innocent past.

"She loved playing with that," Stephen smiles at the same memories as Chuck. "I remember she kept bouncing from person to person to check their heartbeat."

"And I usually ended up being the victim," Chuck laughs wholeheartedly. "Well," Chuck quips joyously, "I guess that's better than becoming a big boy."

Stephen chuckles at remembering Chuck always saying that he wanted to be a big boy when he was asked what he wanted to grow up to be. "You and Ellie were the greatest kids," Stephen divulges with a solemn tone. "You have to know that I left you guys to protect you. It was the single hardest decision of my life," he confesses with deep pain that has never healed. "I couldn't let them use you guys against me. I couldn't let anything happen to you."

"I… I understand," Chuck responds quietly. He has been in the spy game for long enough to feel the impact of a decision like that. It is the cruelest thing Chuck has ever heard to have to give up your family to protect them. "It is helpful to know the reason. I don't think Ellie would be so forgiving though," Chuck tries to smile jokingly, but it falters.

"Ellie's done fine without me," Stephen replies dismissively. "I don't think she needs me anymore."

"Don't you want to see your daughter?" Chuck protests in slight surprise. "I think she at least deserves to know that you are still alive."

"She'll never be able to forgive me," Stephen sighs sadly. "She doesn't know about the spy life, does she?"

"No," Chuck shakes his head.

"Exactly," Stephen drops his head shamefully. "She will just think I'm some lunatic who ran out on his family. She would resent me."

"You don't know that," Chuck argues humbly. "You can't be certain to how she will react until you actually meet her."

"We'll see, son," Stephen places a comforting hand on Chuck's shoulder. "But we have more pressing matters to attend to right now."

**November 20, 2004**

Chuck pulls out two beers from the fridge and pops off the caps with a bottle opener. He walks into the main area where Stephen is sitting on the couch with files strewn across the coffee table. Chuck hands his father a beer and sits down next to him. "Wow, sharing a beer with my son," Stephen quips with an appreciative smile. "I never thought I'd see the day."

Chuck just lets out a goodhearted chuckle as he smiles at his father. He takes a sip of his beer before becoming gravely serious. "If we're going to stop Fulcrum, we need incriminating evidence that points to Roark being the puppet master," Chuck states as he looks over the files.

"Roark may not have been as smart as me, but he is still smart enough to keep his hands clean," Stephen muses thoughtfully. "I've been logging all the properties Roark has bought in the last five years." Stephen lifts a folder that is larger than the book _Atlas Shrugged_.

Chuck's eyebrows shoot up in shock. "You want to look through all that?" Chuck asks fearfully as the size of it is extremely daunting.

"Don't be ridiculous, son," Stephen smirks at the frightened look on Chuck's face. "I've already sorted through it, but he recently bought a warehouse along the docks of Los Angeles," Stephen opens the folder and flips only a few pages in. Chuck surmises that it must be in order by the latest purchases on top. "Here," Stephen points to a copy of the proof of purchase. "Roark has labeled it as a storage facility for his computers, but he's never registered a single delivery."

"And he would send out his computers to stores to sell for income," Chuck continues as his mind fits perfectly onto the same tracks as his father's.

"Yes, he's only had shipments in, but never out," Stephen explains with enthusiasm. "I think he's using it as storage for Fulcrum. It could hold the evidence you need."

"How do I tell Graham about it?" Chuck responds miserably because his excitement was so high a second ago. "I can't tell him I had your help."

"If I may suggest…" Stephen states speculatively. "You can tell Graham you saw it in the Intersect."

"Fake a flash?" Chuck muses in abject horror. "Wouldn't that be immoral?"

"Well, he wouldn't know," Stephen replies calmly. "You tell him you were looking over files on Roark and happened to flash on his property."

"And he would send us out there…" Chuck muses almost diabolically before realizing what the implications would be. "Will you be alright here by yourself?" Chuck asks worriedly.

"I'll be fine," Stephen smirks jovially. "I am a grown man after all."

Chuck rolls his eyes emphatically. "I can stock the fridge for you today and then I'll go talk with Graham. It's still unsafe for you to be in public," Chuck adds in solemnly. "I'm sorry, but I don't want anything happening to you."

"I know, son," Stephen places a gentle hand on Chuck's shoulder. "You're looking out for the people you care about. An ol' Bartowski trait passed on from generation to generation," he smiles mirthfully at Chuck.

**November 20, 2004**

The team is gathered in front of Graham's desk after Chuck called Graham and told him about something urgent. Graham is scowling at Chuck because since finding out Orion is Chuck's father, Chuck has been caring more about his father than stopping Fulcrum. "Carmichael, care to share what is so important that you couldn't share it over the phone?" Graham asks dismissively.

"Sir, I was looking over files on Roark and I flashed," Chuck explains hurriedly. Both Bryce and Sarah snap their heads towards him in surprise. "He recently purchased a warehouse on the docks of Los Angeles…"

"That's not surprising," Bryce muses nonchalantly after recovering. "He runs a huge portion of computer hardware and software."

"Yea, but this warehouse doesn't house his computers," Chuck continues with a conspiring tone. "He's never sent anything out from here, but has only had shipments come in. It is a storage facility for his Fulcrum business."

"Are you certain?" Graham demands in enthrallment as he leans forward.

"Absolutely," Chuck assures confidently. "This could have the evidence we need to arrest Roark and stop Fulcrum once and for all."

"I need the details, but if your flash is correct, this could be the break we're looking for," Graham declares in wonderment and excitement.

"Sir, about my father…" Chuck starts and puts a damper on Graham's mood.

"We haven't had any updates on finding him, but we believe he destroyed an apartment building here in D.C. yesterday," Graham explains calmly. "There were a few Fulcrum agents found in the wreckage. It's our belief that Fulcrum is hunting down Orion as we speak."

"If we find Orion first, can we offer him protection from Fulcrum?" Sarah asks with concern as she gives Chuck a reassuring fleeting glance. She knows that Chuck doesn't trust Graham yet and Sarah wants to make sure Chuck knows that Orion will be safe with the CIA. Chuck shares a quick glance at Sarah in surprise by her question; mentally cheering Sarah on for asking the question.

"Yes, we would never let such an asset fall into the wrong hands," Graham pledges confidently.

"What if my father refused to rebuild the Intersect for you?" Chuck questions carefully.

Graham sighs as he really hopes Orion doesn't refuse the CIA's services. "We wouldn't force him to help us, but we can give him multiple incentives," Graham answers cryptically. "Chuck," Graham stares straight into Chuck's eyes with poise, "the Intersect can be the turning tide in this war against Fulcrum and if your father can build it for us, then we can win this war."

Chuck studies Graham inconspicuously to conclude that Graham is speaking the truth and doesn't have nefarious plans to force his father into working for them. As the team is excused, Sarah catches up to Chuck. "Chuck," she reaches for his forearm and he turns around, "when did you start looking at files?"

"What? Recently," he answers indifferently.

"Chuck," Sarah deadpans with a tone that demands seriousness.

"Fine," Chuck sighs as he looks into her swirling hurricane eyes, "my Dad helped me."

"Are you sure about this?" Sarah whispers conspiratorially. She trusts Chuck's judgment but needs to cover all bases; a trait learned from being a spy.

"I'm not completely certain there will be Fulcrum info there," Chuck explains as he averts his gaze. "But my dad and I think so."

"Did you at least flash on it?" Sarah asks. Chuck lowers his gaze to his shoes and Sarah's eyes widen as she gasps. "You didn't even flash! Graham—"

"Please, Sarah," Chuck looks back into her eyes. He sees a hint of betrayal flowing through them. "It was the only way to get Graham to believe me. I'm sorry for lying, but it was necessary."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She demands tersely. Chuck fumbles over his words so she continues. "Your search for Orion was a rogue operation. Do you know how dangerous that is?" She releases his arm and fidgets with her fingernails. "Very… And now you're faking your flashes."

"And I didn't tell you," Chuck mumbles dejectedly as he can no longer hold her gaze.

"And you didn't tell me," Sarah remarks agitatedly as if she was hurt but masking it behind anger.

"Okay," he sighs, "you're right. Totally and completely right, but Sarah…" he looks back into her eyes. "I needed to find my dad before Fulcrum gets him and we need to stop Fulcrum. I think we can trust Graham and I'll talk to my dad about it."

"You should've trusted me," Sarah responds bitterly, but she knows that with Orion's help, they may catch a break and find a kink in Fulcrum's armor. Chuck shuffles his feet despondently as he stupidly hurt Sarah when he should've trusted her from the beginning.

**November 20, 2004**

Chuck finds his father sitting on the couch and joins him. "It looks like the mission is a go," Chuck informs Stephen. "We're leaving tomorrow for L.A."

"That's great, son," Stephen nods ecstatically.

"Um, Dad, I talked to Graham about his plans for you…" Chuck continues as he thinks about his word choices. "And I think we can trust him. All he wants is your help with rebuilding the Intersect."

"Is this what you really believe?" Stephen asks as if Chuck's opinion is the only one that matters.

"I do," Chuck nods reassuringly. "Sarah trusts him too. And you can't stay here forever. Fulcrum is getting too close and having the Intersect and its creator together is more dangerous than anything else."

"You're right," Stephen sighs dramatically as he pinches the bridge of his nose. "I'll contact Graham soon, but right now, I have some ideas on how I can help you with your mission."

**November 21, 2004**

Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce stop their silent Zodiac watercraft one hundred yards from Roark's warehouse. Bryce drops an anchor over the edge so the boat stays still. Chuck is fortunate that it is very dark under the Los Angeles stars because just getting a glimpse of Sarah's silhouette in that tight form-fitting diving outfit is something only a goddess could have. "Alright," Sarah looks back from the front of the Zodiac, "the plan is to clear the warehouse and find the evidence. You guys ready?"

Chuck and Bryce both nod emphatically. "Dad," Chuck presses his finger to his ear, "are you sure this is waterproof?"

Stephen, from the couch in Chuck and Bryce's Washington D.C. apartment, smiles at his son's trepidation. "I'm certain of it. I tested it myself and it should work up to fifty feet underwater. And don't worry about the feed cutting out from the distance between us; Verizon was nice enough to let me borrow their satellite."

"Do I want to know what you mean by borrow?" Chuck rhetorically asks with a scoff.

"Not really, son," Stephen replies mirthfully as he looks up the blueprints of the warehouse. "It looks like there is a private section of the dock that will serve as a perfect entrance point."

"Roger that," Chuck replies and looks at his two partners for confirmation. They both nod as they slide their fully closed rebreathers around their necks to rest over their chests. Chuck follows suit and slips his over his head to hang from his neck over his chest. They all pull the masks over their faces and look at each other to make sure they are all ready. Sarah sidles her silenced MP5 submachine gun along her hip and then hands one to Chuck. Chuck hesitantly takes the weapon and stares at it as if it is some type of grotesque monster. As Chuck's skin starts to pale under the neoprene suit, Bryce teases Chuck with a smack on the arm. Chuck narrows his eyes under his mask at Bryce for a second before latching the submachine gun to his person. Sarah gives her partners a thumbs up and Chuck and Bryce follow suit. Sarah falls backwards into the black water and vanishes completely. Bryce drops next and Chuck drops last.

Inside the black liquid, Chuck can barely see ahead of him when Sarah taps him on the arm. He looks over to see her blue eyes shimmering in the sparse light dripping in from the moon and its surrounding stars. After getting his attention, Sarah kicks her flippers and follows Bryce in a perfect line like a school of fish. They efficiently slice through the blackness until they reach a fence blocking their entrance into the warehouse. Bryce unhooks his underwater blowtorch and burns a small hole in the gate for them to fit through.

After creating a large enough hole, Bryce holsters his blowtorch and slips through the hole; Sarah and Chuck right behind him. They follow Bryce deeper into the warehouse until they arrive at the beginning of the dock. Bryce looks at his two partners, points up in the air, and nods his head. Chuck and Sarah both nod and Bryce slowly surfaces. He looks through the top of the water to see a man with an assault rifle at his hip as he slowly walks along the outskirts of the dock. Bryce removes his tactical knife and waits for the guard to stop in his path.

Bryce shoots out of the water and grabs the guard by the shirt; pulling him into the water. Bryce quickly covers the guard's mouth while avoiding the guard's erratic writhes in protest. Bryce takes the knife in his right hand and stabs the guard in the neck; the dark water turning a murky red under the surface. The guard immediately stops fighting and Bryce kicks his body deeper into the water.

He finds his two partners and tells them it is safe to surface. All three of them slowly allow their heads to bubble over the water so there eyes are on the same level as the water. They look around to see the warehouse filled with aisles of large crates under the bright fluorescent lights. There is no sign of any more guards, so they swim to the edge of the land and pull themselves over. As Chuck makes it to his feet, he turns back to help pull Sarah out of the water with one strong hand.

The three of them strip off their rebreathers and masks and hide them in a dark corner. They hide their flippers with the rebreathers and survey the area. "So far, there was one guard," Bryce explains. "I neutralized him."

"Neutralized?" Chuck questions skeptically.

"He had a gun," Bryce deadpans with slight annoyance at how big of a pussy Chuck is for being afraid to kill someone. "Grow a sack." Their eyes lock and Chuck's narrow slightly at the insult.

Chuck reluctantly accepts Bryce's reason when Sarah breaks them from their stare-off. "Let's go," she harshly whispers after seeing the feud growing between them. Chuck looks over at Sarah and sees her beautiful face framed by her black mask that opens at her forehead and ends at her chin. Chuck also realizes how thin and curvy Sarah's body really is under the skintight suit.

The three of them carefully clear aisle after aisle of the warehouse with their guns aimed in front of them. In the third aisle, Bryce sees an enemy leisurely walking along with his gun on his hip. Bryce stops Chuck and Sarah; Sarah watching their backs while Chuck stays in the middle for the most protection if they were attacked. Bryce removes his knife and readies it as he stalks his enemy with silent footsteps. Chuck watches as Bryce steps behind the enemy and wraps his left hand over the enemy's mouth. Bryce presses the knife into the enemy's neck with his right hand. Chuck cringes at the sight as Bryce saps out the enemy's life. Bryce quietly sits the body against one of the crates before looking back and giving his team a thumbs up.

"Let's go," Sarah pushes a reluctant Chuck along to catch up to Bryce. They continue through the warehouse until they find a door at the end and two guards standing by it, smoking cigarettes. Bryce lifts his widened hand up to stop Chuck and Sarah from continuing as Bryce presses his back against a crate. He sneaks another glance at the two enemies before looking back at his team.

"There're two guards," he whispers concisely. "I'll take right, you take left," he looks into Chuck's eyes.

Chuck already feels himself paling under his suit as just the mere thought of killing someone causes a cold sweat to soak into his suit.

"You alright, Chuck?" Sarah furrows her brow as she sees his face a ghostly white.

"What?" He looks at her with fear and alarm in his eyes. "Yea, I'm fine," he lies weakly. Sarah studies Chuck as she has never seen him so nervous except for the day she met him and he didn't want to fight her. Before she can conclude what the nervousness is from, Bryce interrupts them.

Bryce rolls his eyes at Chuck. "Sarah, you take the left. I'll take the right," Bryce gives up on Chuck. He knows that Chuck is still afraid to kill and enjoys making Chuck look like a pussy in front of Sarah.

"Alright," Sarah peeks over to see the two guards puffing on their cigarettes while they haphazardly hold a lazy hand over the trigger. She steps back and looks at Bryce. "I'll stay low, you stay high."

"Roger that," Bryce nods as he looks into Sarah's eyes. Chuck watches with fascination at how in tune they are as Bryce starts a silent countdown with his fingers. It just causes Chuck to hate himself for being so weak and afraid to kill someone who is only hurting the world.

As Bryce counts down to one finger, Sarah grips her silenced MP5 and watches as Bryce's last finger drops and Bryce turns the corner in a standing position while Sarah spins around the corner in a crouch. They both fire off a burst of three silent bullets at their enemies. Chuck hears the suppressed whiffs of the bullets penetrating the air followed by two bangs as the bodies hit the ground. Bryce and Sarah both hurry to the guards and kick away their guns and check their pulses to make sure they are dead. Once satisfied, they drag the bodies out of the way. Chuck catches up to them as Bryce stops them in front of the door. He inspects the keypad mechanism with a confused expression.

"Guys, I've never seen anything like this before," Bryce informs them in a terse whisper. Chuck and Sarah both inspect it and look over the keypad with five buttons with multiple number sequences on them.

"I don't think I can pick that," Sarah muses.

"Damn," Chuck huffs, "we should've known Roark would have upgraded security."

"Son," Stephen speaks up. "Take a picture of it and send it to me. I packed you a small camera I designed for quick relaying of images." Chuck quickly pats his pockets until he finds a tiny square device with a small lens. He quickly snaps a photo of the keypad and the camera instantly sends the picture to Stephen. Stephen's chuckle has everyone furrowing their brow. "Wow, Roark could be really thick-headed," Stephen states in disbelief. "He's using my designs for his security. Chuck, that keypad is in the Intersect. Flash on it."

"But I didn't flash on it a second ago," Chuck protests as he looks at the keypad again.

"Trust me, son," Stephen assures in a fatherly voice. "I put it in the Intersect."

Chuck really focuses on it and he is instantly hit with a flash.

_Number Sequence 1_

_Number Sequence 2_

_Number Sequence 3_

_Number Sequence 4_

"Whoa," Chuck sighs as he now knows the password to get into the door. He presses the top left, then the top right, followed by the bottom right, the top middle, and finally the bottom left. The door instantly slides open to reveal a pale white room with multiple filing cabinets.

"Aces, Charles," Stephen whispers to his son and Chuck cannot help the proud grin that forms on his face. They immediately get to work and scour the filing cabinets for documents or any type of evidence that could help incriminate Roark as Fulcrum.

"Guys," Sarah captures their attention as she pulls open a cabinet. She skims over the labels to see the names of some of the Fulcrum agents they apprehended like David Andrews, Tommy Delgado, Vincent Smith, Andrea Black, and Marcus Drake. The names are only a few in hundreds of files. "I think we found the evidence we needed."

**I hope you enjoyed them going all Navy Seals on the mission. I am not sure when I will have the next chapter out, but hopefully soon.**

**Please review.**


	23. The Issue at Hand

**No… couldn't be. This can't possibly be an update to this story. It has to be one of those quick little notes about the author having writer's block or dealing with a lot of stuff. But…**

**It is an update! I've been spending what large free time I have on writing this story, even though I should be finishing my finals. I'm not a very smart person, but then again, I don't get praise from my teachers like I do from you guys. Thank you for all the reviews and for the people who are just enjoying this story at every update I provide. I noticed there were a few more alert subscriptions and that is… FANTASTICAL! I thank you for being so merciful.**

**I'm sorry it's been taking so long for the updates. I just haven't had time with the whole holidays and now finals, but I'm nearing the end of it and getting out of my slump. I already have the next chapter virtually finished so I hope I can get back on track with my biweekly updates.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**November 21, 2004**

"Sir," Chuck speaks into his phone held to his ear inside Roark's warehouse, "we've found enough evidence linking Roark to Fulcrum. There are files of almost everything Fulcrum has done and is planning."

"This is great news," Graham declares ecstatically. "I want you to collect everything that can hold up in court and bring it back to D.C. This is too sensitive to trust with anyone else."

"Yes, sir," Chuck nods as he ends the phone call and looks at his two partners scouring the small chamber for numerous files that link Roark to Fulcrum. "Guys, we need to find everything we can that will incriminate Roark and take it back to Graham in person."

"That's fine with me," Bryce shrugs indifferently.

"That's going to be a lot," Sarah muses as she opens another drawer that houses hundreds more Fulcrum files.

"I know," Chuck affirms with a grin. "Dad," he presses the microphone on his ear, "we found everything we were looking for. You were right, Dad. We should be able to stop Fulcrum once and for all."

"That's great, son," Stephen answers happily. "Roark needs to be stopped."

Bryce lets out a low drawling whistle as he pulls open another drawer. "He even keeps tabs on all the women in his life," Bryce airily informs his partners. "Now that is one long list." Bryce looks over in envy at how many separate files there are.

"The man's a creep," Sarah snarls as she looks over at the numerous files with a disgusted scowl.

"Enough," Chuck steps up calmly. "Let's get everything pertinent to our mission first." Chuck hands Sarah and Bryce a large waterproof bag each. "Put everything you can in these."

After filling their bags to the brim and sealing them airtight, they make their way out of the storage room while leaving everything looking the same as before they arrived. Bryce and Chuck dumped the bodies into the water, much to Chuck's dislike, but he knows it is necessary. They fit on their rebreathers, masks, and flippers and dive into the water to return to their Zodiac.

**November 22, 2004**

Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce step into Graham's office with the files they recovered from Roark's warehouse. Graham is sitting impatiently at his desk as he rubs his palms together anxiously. "What do you have for me?" He asks as he tries to keep his tone from giving away his excitement.

"We have the whole enchilada," Chuck replies happily as he drops a stack of over a hundred folders. "There're at least fifty Fulcrum agents within here."

"And even a few Fulcrum bases," Sarah continues merrily as she sits down between her two partners.

Graham has to use all of his self-control not to reach across the desk and whine 'gimme, gimme, gimme!' like a spoiled child. Chuck slides the stack of Fulcrum files over and Graham looks down at them. "This is exactly what we needed," he murmurs in awe as he opens the first file to an Agent Rick Sanders. "This should stop Fulcrum once and for all." He looks up at his agents with a proud smile. "I'll have my most trustworthy analysts go over this as soon as possible. Then we will arrest Roark for the traitor he is."

"We'll be ready," Bryce assures confidently.

**November 25, 2004**

Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce reconvene in Graham's office after an urgent text message Graham sent them. As they sit down in front of his desk, he looks over his team with a serious expression. "Agents, the evidence you found is more than sufficient to bring Roark down," he explains calmly.

"Let's arrest him," Bryce interrupts excitedly. "I want to be the one to cuff that bastard!"

"Calm down, Agent Larkin," Graham states in a tranquil tone. "Roark never stays in the same spot and never discloses his location to the public."

"Then how do we find him?" Chuck asks curiously as he crooks his neck slightly.

Graham lets a smirk form on his lips. "With the files you obtained, he constantly keeps tabs on his assistant, among other things," Graham adds suggestively.

"Pig," Sarah mumbles as she crosses her arms over her chest.

"Yes, well he has her itinerary for the next two weeks already planned out," Graham explains. "She is in Los Angeles now and will be flying in to New York in two days. She has an overnight layover in Chicago. She should know where Roark will be. Larkin, we're going to need you to seduce her and extract any information we can out of her. She is only a civilian as far as we know and doesn't know anything about Fulcrum."

"Consider it done, sir," Bryce nods his head confidently.

"She will be staying at the Winchester hotel and her beverage of choice is a cucumber martini," Graham explains after learning what the file on Roark's assistant had displayed. "Don't ask," he responds to the curious expressions on his agents. "Carmichael and Walker, you will monitor from the van." Graham glances at his agents as they nod their heads. He looks back into Bryce's eyes with gravity. "If you fail to get Roark's location, Carmichael," Graham looks over to Chuck, "you will be sitting next to her in first class from Chicago to New York. You'll have approximately two hours to get her to talk."

"First class?" Chuck reiterates amusedly. "Nice," he drawls with a large grin until Graham clears his throat loudly. Chuck immediately drops the excited façade and mumbles, "Sorry." Sarah grins at Chuck's comical antics.

"When do we leave for Chicago?" Bryce asks curiously.

"You will leave tomorrow for Chicago," Graham answers tersely. "This is the closest we've been to stopping Fulcrum since they surfaced. Don't let me down."

"We won't sir," Bryce assures as the three of them nod.

**November 25, 2004**

Chuck hands a newspaper to his father who is sitting on the couch. The newspaper is from the 'Los Angeles Times.' "What's this, son?" Stephen queries in complete curiosity as he glances at Chuck and then at the newspaper.

"The second to last page. Bottom right," Chuck instructs simply as he plops down next to his father.

Stephen, his interest now piqued, flips through the newspaper until he reaches his designation. His eyes fall to the bottom right to show a picture of a spitting image of his wife, Mary, and a handsome blond man hugging each other while looking towards the reader. Stephen actually feels his eyes weigh down with joyous tears as he reads the lines under the picture.

_Woodcomb-Bartowski_

_Devon Christian Woodcomb and Eleanor Faye Bartowski are planning a January wedding. They first met in medical school at UCLA and have cherished each other's company ever since. Both of them are doctors for Westside Medical and look to continue in their profession to save the lives of many people._

Stephen looks up at Chuck with tears in his eyes. Chuck smiles subtly at the reaction the announcement gave his father. "She looks just like her mother," Stephen states in a shaky admiring tone. "She's beautiful." Stephen blinks away the tears. "Is this Devon a good guy?"

"He's honestly the greatest guy," Chuck replies truthfully. "The guy looks like an Abercrombie and Fitch model, but he loves Ellie more than anything in the world."

"That's good," Stephen murmurs to himself as he nods. "I'm so happy for her. She looks so happy in this picture."

"She is happy, dad," Chuck assures with a gentle hand on his father's shoulder. "I've never seen her happier than when she is with him."

"Thank you for this, Charles," Stephen turns and hugs his son tightly. "Aces, Charles, you're aces."

**November 26, 2004**

Chuck steps out of the bathroom of the hotel suite in Chicago. Bryce is relaxing on the bed in his street clothes. "Aren't you going to get ready?" Chuck questions with a hint of bitterness.

"I'm just thinking…" Bryce smirks as he sits up. "You think Sarah would like a blue tie or a black tie."

"You're seducing Roark's assistant," Chuck deadpans as he already feels his anger boiling.

Bryce's smirk deepens as he has found a new joy in teasing Chuck. "I know… but after, I'm gonna get Sarah into bed." He makes hand gestures of his fingers intertwining to insinuate they had sex.

"No you're not," Chuck barks as his fists clench impulsively.

Bryce knows his bravado isn't exactly the strongest thing, but he cannot help but enjoy seeing the anger flare through Chuck. Sarah has surprisingly been completely professional with Bryce, which frustrates him that a girl would say no to him. What is even worse is that she obviously has feelings for Chuck. "We'll see about that," Bryce smirks knowingly as if he is completely confident in himself.

"No," Chuck nearly shouts as his anger continues to rise.

"Yea," Bryce nods his head emphatically as he grins victoriously while watching the turmoil unfold on Chuck's face. "I'm gonna peel her out of her clothes and pick off her little lace panties with my tee—" Bryce falls back from a thunderous punch to his cheek.

"You're not touching her!" Chuck shouts as he fights the painful tears of betrayal rising inside him. The woman he loves would never be shallow enough to jump into bed with Bryce. Sarah isn't that shallow.

"What the hell, man?" Bryce retorts angrily as he steps into Chuck's face; their noses nearly touching.

"She won't! You won't!" Chuck yells irately into Bryce's face. "You know how much I care about her!"

"Well it's too late," Bryce pushes Chuck back. Chuck stumbles backwards slightly as he doesn't know how to react. It feels like his world is crashing down over him and he is finding it hard to breathe.

"Why?" Chuck demands furiously as he pushes Bryce back. "Why are you doing this?" Chuck pushes Bryce again and Bryce dislikes the incessant pushes so he punches Chuck in the chest.

Chuck grabs Bryce by the collar and forcefully pushes him against the wall. Bryce retorts by knocking Chuck's hands away and pushes him as forcefully as he can. Chuck stumbles back into the dresser and hits his lower back against the corner. He grunts in pain as he rushes at Bryce blindly as his heart breaks into tiny pieces at being betrayed by his best friend.

**November 26, 2004**

Sarah looks in the mirror and reflects on the forlorn expression on her face. Usually Chuck knocks by now and she would let him in. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but her talks with Chuck just before a mission always help her so much. Somehow, he always relaxes her and instills confidence in her. His unabashed honest compliments don't hurt either. She misses his kind, encouraging words. She finds it surprisingly cold in her hotel room as she slides on a black fleece to keep herself warm. She glances at the thermometer and it is seventy-six degrees in the room, which isn't cold by her standards.

She sits on the edge of the bed and her knee starts bouncing erratically. She glances at her watch to see Chuck and Bryce are already three minutes late to convening in her room before planning out the mission. She hugs her arms to her chest as she fights off the cold shiver begging to run through her body.

Two minutes later, she loses her patience and steps out of her room; but not without her trusty Smith and Wesson Model 5906 handgun tucked in her lower back. She calmly walks towards Chuck and Bryce's room as she thinks about what she is going to say to them when she hears scuffling noises from inside their suite. She impulsively crouches and grips her pistol from behind her back. She glances left and right to make sure the hallway is clear and quickly picks the lock. As she unlocks the door, she retakes her grip around her pistol and aims it forward.

She creeps into the suite as her mind runs wild with thoughts of Chuck and Bryce being hurt, killed, or worse. As she steps deeper into the suite, she hears Chuck's voice say, "You know how much she means to me!"

Sarah furrows her brow as she steps around the corner to see the room in ruins. Her eyes widen in shock at the tornado that hit the room. The table is pushed to the corner of the room, the chairs are fallen over, the mirror has a slight crack in it and the lamp on the nightstand is shattered along the floor. She sees Bryce throw a punch at Chuck, who swiftly ducks under it. She quickly deducts what is happening and tosses her gun on the bed. She rushes in between them and separates each of them with a firm hand on each of their chests. "Stop it!" She demands in a harsh bellow. "Stop fighting!"

Bryce and Chuck look at each other as they heave in and out with exhaustion. Their eyes meet and they quickly realize what they've done. Bryce feels horrible for taking the teasing quip as far as a fist fight. Chuck feels like an idiot for letting Bryce get to him so easily, but Sarah is one of the most important things in his life.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sarah shouts agitatedly as she glares at each of them. Chuck's left eye is slightly swollen and his nose is trickling with blood. Bryce's left cheek is bright red and his lower lip is oozing blood from a gash.

"I'm… I'm sorry," Chuck mumbles as he steps back from the flaring nostrils and irate look on Sarah's face.

"We were just screwing around," Bryce cracks a smile through his split lip.

Sarah scolds herself for not realizing this sooner. It is so obvious that she cannot believe she didn't realize it earlier. Chuck's words as she barged in secured it. She should've expected this. Graham should've expected this. There are only so many things worthy of lying and slandering your best friend about. The two best friends are fighting over something. Someone is more appropriate as Sarah concludes that they are fighting over her. She should never have been put on a team with two men. "Sure," Sarah responds facetiously as she doesn't feel like bringing up the fact she knows they are fighting over her. She is just going to have to do something about it herself. "Now get ready! Both of you!"

**November 26, 2004**

Chuck lightly dabs his left eye with his left hand to feel the tender bruising as it flares with pain. He looks across the van to Sarah who is completely engrossed into the mission with her eyes watching the cameras carefully. The silence is palpable with tension after her catching them fighting. Chuck is afraid to even try to explain what happened and Sarah's closed-off demeanor isn't helping. Her thoughts are too preoccupied with how to deal with the feud growing between Chuck and Bryce .She knows it is her fault but she didn't do anything to lead either of them on. She shelves her plans to repair the broken partnership as she needs to focus on the mission right now.

Bryce is sitting at the bar as he slowly sips on his beer. He calmly waits for their mark to enter the room.

"Roark's assistant is on her way now," Sarah informs him.

Bryce sneaks a glance over his shoulder as a petite brunette in a business jacket and skirt steps into the lounge. She has thin stylish prescription glasses and her hair is back in a bun. She walks straight to the bar and sits down next to Bryce. Her eyes connect with the bartender's and she tersely asks, "Can I get a cucumber martini?"

"Yes, ma'am," the bartender nods and quickly makes the drink. After mixing the vodka, lemon juice, cucumber, and adding flakes of mint, he slides the drink to her. "That would be twelve dollars," he sincerely informs her.

"Do you take card?" She asks as she digs into her wallet.

"Put it on my tab," Bryce interrupts suavely.

The brunette glances at him and smiles subtly with a curt nod. "Thank you," she murmurs.

"Rough day?" Bryce asks calmly as he tries to get on a comfortable level with her.

"You have no idea," she rolls her eyes and takes a long sip of her martini.

"Sometimes it helps to talk with someone," Bryce insists sincerely.

"You don't want to hear my problems," she assures with a grin as she takes another long sip that drains her drink. She picks the cucumber out of the empty glass and tosses it in her mouth.

"Another for the lady," Bryce informs the bartender before looking back at the brunette. "I honestly have nothing better to do," Bryce states suavely as he holds eye contact with her.

"I can pay for my own drinks," she informs him with a thankful grin.

"I'm sure you can," Bryce nods emphatically, "but you look stressed out. Take a load off, let your hair down, and have a little fun." Bryce finishes with a charming smile.

"Your offer is quite enticing," she grins almost salaciously at him as the bartender hands her the freshly made martini.

"I'm Bryce by the way," he throws his hand out towards her.

"Sophie," she shakes his hand and he dips his head graciously.

"Beautiful name," he muses to himself, but purposefully loud enough for her to hear. "You ready to relax now?"

"I can use some relaxation," she sighs deeply as she eyes her drink with envy.

Bryce knows this is a bit of a power move, but he reaches behind her head and in one swift move, removes the band holding her hair up. She tenses for a slight second at the unexpected forwardness, but when she feels her hair pool down over her shoulders and back, and she sees him drop the hair band on the bar counter, she relaxes again. "Now your hair is down, you ready to take a load off?" He asks sincerely with a welcoming smile. "And if I'm not too forward, you look gorgeous with your hair like that."

"Thank you," she shyly responds as her cheeks sting a light pink color. "I think I am ready for a load off."

"So… lay it on me," Bryce demands playfully. "What's got you so wound up?"

"It's nothing…" she assures. "It's just my boss… he's a bit eccentric and annoying."

"Aren't they all?" Bryce replies jokingly. "I swear all bosses seem to have some kind of metaphorical stick up their ass."

"Sometimes I think it's physical too," Sophie jokes happily as she has never really had time to just lay back and talk with someone. Her job has been taxing and exhausting to the point where she has no life outside of it.

Bryce lets out a soft laugh. "That's the spirit," he grins at her. "Is it a he or she?"

"It's a he," she shakes her head in disgust as she thinks about him.

"What do you do?" Bryce asks curiously.

"I'm his assistant," she replies uncaringly. She is enjoying her time having a harmless conversation with someone willing to listen.

"And he runs you ragged?" Bryce adds in knowingly.

"That's on a slow day," she responds as her mind reverts back to the many times he solicited sex from her. She didn't know what to do and he threatened her if she didn't put out. She is too scared to disobey him now and afraid he will harm her or worse if she doesn't comply with him. She is in pure fear of her boss so she cannot quit either.

"Who's your boss?" Bryce asks curiously.

"I… I can't say," she responds embarrassingly.

"How can it hurt telling a stranger one measly fact about your life?" Bryce asks incredulously.

"I just… I can't," she replies just as glumly. "I'm sorry. I should go. If he found out I was drinking he would kill me." And she means it literally as he has threatened her before about killing her if she screwed up. She quickly stands up and grabs her hair band. "Thank you for the drinks," she responds almost on the verge of tears before hastily walking out of the bar.

"What the hell?" Bryce mumbles to himself as he has never seen someone so bipolar.

"What did you say to her?" Sarah asks through his earpiece.

"I just asked who her boss was," Bryce whispers into his watch.

"And she just ran off like that?" Chuck questions thoughtfully as he crooks his head in contemplation. There needs to be a reason for her running off scared because he wanted to know her boss.

"She seemed worried or scared," Bryce informs his partners.

"Well, it looks like you're on for tomorrow Chuck," Sarah turns to him with a subtle grin. This is the first time she acknowledged Chuck since they got into the van.

**November 27, 2004**

Chuck follows the unnecessarily gorgeous flight attendant through the cabin of the airplane until she leads him into first class. His eyes widen ever so slightly at the luxury of the area. He's never flown first class before so he is rightfully shocked to see leather seats that can lean back into complete recliners, a privacy shade to keep other passengers from seeing what you are doing, a bar directly in the center of the cabin, and five more attendants equally as gorgeous as the first in dark blue outfits. The attendant leads Chuck to his seat which just happens to be directly next to a brunette with her hair pulled up in a bun and stylish prescription glasses, Sophie Reed.

As Chuck takes his seat, he nods to the attendant, "thank you," before turning to his neighbor with a comforting smile. "Hi, I'm Chuck," he gives out his hand as he situates himself in his seat.

"Sophie," she shakes his hand sincerely.

"Whew," Chuck lets out a low whistle. "Leather seats and all," he runs his hands along the private armrests for his seat only in utter wonderment.

"First time in first class?" She asks nicely.

"Is it that obvious?" Chuck looks at her with a slightly embarrassed expression. It is his first time, so his reaction is only partially acting.

"Well, I don't think I've ever heard someone mention the leather seats before," she happily responds, surprisingly enjoying her time with Chuck already. He seems so innocent and friendly.

"Touché," Chuck responds reverently. "So, do you fly first class often?"

"Only for work occasions," she responds calmly.

"Would you like some champagne?" One of the flight attendants interrupts gently with a tray holding multiple full champagne flutes.

"How much?" Chuck asks curiously.

"Um… it's complementary, sir," the attendant responds sincerely.

"Free?" Chuck surmises with widened eyes. "I'm down. I'll take one."

Sophie lets out a giggle at Chuck's first class virginity. "One can't hurt," she receives a flute after Chuck. "You really need to work on your exuberance," she jokes to Chuck.

"You know, the only place that gives free drinks like this is Vegas… and you have to be gambling. So excuse me if I'm not going to let the airlines get me drunk," he quips in a friendly manner.

"Sounds like a Gandhi quote," she jokes, quickly realizing she hasn't joked like this since she started working for Roark. Something about the man and his brooding threats caused her to lose her sense of humor and anything else except for obedience.

"If only," Chuck scoffs as he takes a sip of his champagne. "So, if you fly first class for work then you must have a pretty entertaining job."

"Nope, just as boring as the rest of the pencil-pushers," she lies as her mind starts to creep towards the darker parts of her job.

"Well, I don't think they get to fly first class," Chuck deadpans with a subtle grin.

"So, if this is your first time flying first class, I'm thinking maybe a vacation with money you've saved up?" She tries to change the subject.

"Not quite," Chuck smiles at her attempt. "I work for a software company and a wealthy client asked me to fly out personally to install his security systems. He paid the plane ticket in full, so this is like a free trip really," Chuck smiles at Sophie.

"You're lucky," she muses with slight bitterness. "My boss has me flying to New York for a stupid seminar."

"Wow, well he must be pretty well off if he's paying for your first class ticket," Chuck assumes rightfully.

"Yea, almost as rich as Steve Jobs," she responds before realizing how personal the conversation is getting. Her skin starts to pale and sweat forms on her brow as she sits up and looks through the cabin as if she thinks she is being watched.

"Are you alright?" Chuck asks worriedly.

"What?" She finally lowers her head and looks at him. "Yea, I'm fine. Just one of those weird random shivers, you know?"

"I hate those," Chuck enthuses, but knows there is something strange going on. "So, you were saying your boss is almost as rich as Steve Jobs? Damn, that's a lot of mullah."

"Um… yea," she nervously responds as she tries to change the subject in fear of giving up any information about her job. "Your client must be pretty rich to be paying for your first class ticket just to set up his security."

"Yea, he's a normal guy," Chuck shrugs. "I think he's just a bit paranoid. Maybe the CIA is watching him," Chuck jokes.

Sophie lets out a nervous laugh at Chuck's joke. She is scared that Roark will have someone listening in on her conversation somehow. She wouldn't put it past him to have someone on the plane watching her. "That would be ridiculous," she finally responds as she sinks deeper into her chair.

"So, who is this 'I make almost as much as Steve Jobs' guy?" Chuck asks sincerely.

"Um… well," she stutters over her words as she lets her voice drop to almost a whisper just in case. "Ted Roark."

"Like Roark Instruments, Roark?" Chuck asks as if he is completely surprised.

"Um…" she whispers barely audible. "Yea."

"Wow, what's it like working for him?" Chuck asks as he sees how worried she is about something that any normal person wouldn't mind divulging. Something isn't right here.

_Being a secretary and a hooker_, she thinks bitterly in her mind. "Boring… I'm just his assistant."

Chuck studies her body language and she looks utterly afraid. Chuck isn't sure what she is afraid of, but she seems to be in a torrential fear. He knows it is a risky move, but he goes out on a limb. "You don't look like you like your job very much," Chuck muses quietly.

"What?" She looks at him. "What do you mean?"

"If you have to try to hide from him while on a plane then something isn't right," Chuck informs her with a serious tone.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she responds halfheartedly.

"I can help you," Chuck whispers. "I know people who can keep you safe from him."

Sophie doesn't know how to react to Chuck's offer. He is only a stranger yet somehow his tone is completely honest and he believes his words fully. But Roark has people everywhere. She may not know for certain, but he has mentioned having contacts in the government. She is so sick of being his lapdog and sex slave that she cannot do it anymore .She is finally presented with an opportunity to get out of her captivity. "You do?" She whispers back with intrigue and hope filling her tone.

"Yes, they can keep you safe," Chuck whispers honestly. "I don't work for a software company."

"You don't?" She asks weakly.

"I work for the government," Chuck whispers into her ear. "I can guarantee your safety."

"Really?" She looks up at him with glimmering brown eyes that look ready to crack and spill.

"All I need is your help in finding Roark," Chuck explains to her. "If you help us find him then you will be safe. I promise."

"I'll do what I can," she agrees wholeheartedly. "Just please, I don't want to be Roark's assistant anymore," she nearly begs as tears start to slide under the rim of her glasses. "I can't do it… I won't."

Chuck gently places a hand on her shoulder as she removes her glasses and wipes her eyes. "Everything is going to be okay," he comforts in a soft tone. "Roark won't be hurting you anymore."

She is so relieved by his humble truthful words that she wraps her arms around his waist and hugs him tightly. "Thank you," she murmurs into his stomach. "Thank you so much."

Chuck quickly slides up the privacy screen and soothingly massages circles on her back to calm her down.

**November 27, 2004**

Chuck hands Sophie a glass of water inside the CIA safe house interrogation room. "Are you hungry?" He asks sincerely as she graciously takes the glass of water.

"No," she swallows weakly, "I think I'm good."

Sarah walks in through the door and Sophie's eyes follow the beautiful blonde curiously. They chose to let Bryce wait on the other side of the mirror just in case she recognizes him from the other night. "Hi, I'm Sarah," Sarah calmly shakes Sophie's hand with a pleasant grin.

"Do you work for the government too?" Sophie asks meekly.

"Yes, Chuck and I are partners," Sarah nods her head formally. "We're here to keep you safe."

"Okay," she nods her head curtly before gazing at Chuck.

"Alright," Chuck claps his hands together, "let's get this started. Sophie," Chuck sits down across from her, "do you know where Ted Roark is?"

"He likes to stay off anyone's radar," Sophie answers truthfully. "Right now, he should be in Europe."

"When will he be back in Los Angeles?" Sarah asks calmly.

"You guys are going to keep me safe, right?" Sophie probes worriedly.

"Yes," Chuck nods honestly. "Witness Protection will be by shortly to arrange everything."

"Do I have any other options?" She asks, knowing the gist of Witness Protection and having to change her name and everything in her life.

"The only other option is being held in a bunker until Roark is apprehended and it is safe for you to be outside without protection," Sarah replies glumly.

"Looks like I'm taking the first option," Sophie smiles frailly as she tries to joke.

"I'm sorry," Chuck murmurs compassionately. "I wish there was a way for you to go home to your family and friends safely." Sarah is surprised by Chuck's sympathy as she glances at his slumped form. This person is only a stranger yet Chuck is treating her like she is one of his best friends.

"It's okay," Sophie responds tersely. "I've never married and Roark never really gave me any free time. I'm an only child and my father is remarried and doesn't want anything to do with me." She left out the part about her mother passing away nine years ago as she doesn't feel it is prudent.

"I'm sorry," Sarah bows her head genuinely. "But with Wit Sec, you'll be able to have a full life with no limitations."

"I'm looking forward to it," Sophie smiles reverently.

"So, do you know when Roark will be in Los Angeles?" Chuck asks sincerely as he gets back to the business at hand.

"In two days," Sophie responds. "Monday, the twenty-ninth; to be exact."

"Where in L.A.?" Sarah asks enthusiastically.

"He should be at Roark Instruments," Sophie responds honestly. "He is usually quite precise with his schedule and should be there by nine in the morning after his flight lands."

"Where's he flying into?" Chuck asks.

"Oh, he has a private airstrip he uses just outside Pasadena," Sophie replies nonchalantly as if it is common knowledge.

Chuck and Sarah lock eyes and their minds concoct the same exact plan. "We nab Roark right after he lands!" The both say at the same time with growing enthusiasm.

Sarah quickly turns back to Sophie with excitement. "When does his plane land?"

"It should be um…" she taps her palm to her forehead a few times in thought. "Seven thirty in the morning."

"Great!" Chuck exclaims. "Thank you, Sophie. You've helped a lot. You may've just saved this world," Chuck smiles brightly at her.

Sophie regards Chuck with surprise and pride. It feels quite exhilarating to know that she helped good honest American heroes trying to save the world. "You're welcome," she replies shyly as she blushes a subtle pink.

"Is there anything else you can tell us that may help?" Sarah asks Sophie.

"No…" Sophie responds before letting her mind recollect previous conversations she had overheard. Wait! I overheard Roark and another man… they said something about a woman."

"What do you mean?" Chuck stops celebrating and falls deathly serious.

"I… I don't know," Sophie responds unsurely. "They said something about the woman still not talking. I… I don't really know. It was mostly in passing."

"Do you know the name of the woman?" Sarah queries gravely.

"No," Sophie nods truthfully, "they never said her name. The man Roark was talking with said that she still wasn't talking and Roark told the man to keep working on her… whatever that means. Oh my god! Do you think they were hurting her?" Sophie asks in complete shock and horrification as the realization hits her.

"Most likely," Sarah nods sadly.

"We need to find out who this person is," Chuck states defiantly as if it is their new mission.

**Please review.**


	24. Hitting Too Close to Home

**Thanks for the reviews and just checking out this story. It really does mean a lot that hundreds of people are reading what I wrote. I wouldn't believe it if it was in any other case but this fandom is just awesome. No other TV show will ever encourage me like Chuck has. We'll all miss it when it is gone, but will forever remember it for positively affecting our lives. This idea has been in my head since like chapter eight so I hope you enjoy.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**November 27, 2004**

On their flight back to Washington, Chuck is racking his brain with who this 'woman' can be. "Dammit," he huffs in agitation that he doesn't know how to solve this puzzle. His sister was always the puzzle solver in the family. Chuck remembers when they had both just bought twelve-sided Rubik's cubes and she solved hers before he could even get his out of the box.

Sarah looks over at him in consternation. "What's wrong?" She asks comfortingly.

"I don't know who this 'woman' Fulcrum has is," Chuck explains to her through gritted teeth. "It has to be a CIA agent, right? Who else could possibly be worth capturing? But who then? Jesse?" Chuck asks himself worriedly as a quiver runs through his body at the thought of Jesse being tortured. "Carina?"

"Chuck," Sarah tenses at the thought of her friend, Carina, being harmed, "it can be anyone from the CIA. It may not even be a CIA agent. They don't necessarily have a direct relation to us," she assures with a gentle hand on his forearm.

"Yea, lighten up," Bryce playfully hits Chuck on the arm. "At least it's not one of us."

"But it's someone," Chuck argues back almost violently as he stares down Bryce for being so insensitive. "And they don't deserve to be tortured."

Sarah watches the tension build between the two best friends. It hasn't left since she found out the reason for it, herself. It has become such a noticeable tension that she cannot believe she didn't notice before. Maybe she just pretended it wasn't happening until it was too obvious to ignore. "Guys," she gets their attention, "we'll talk with Graham and maybe he will have a missing agent so we can find out who Fulcrum is keeping prisoner. At least that will narrow our options."

"I guess you're right," Chuck sighs apprehensively; angrier that there really is nothing they can do at the moment.

**November 27, 2004**

Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce walk into Graham's office and sit down immediately. Graham is waiting anxiously for their report and Chuck starts. "Sir, Fulcrum has someone they're keeping prisoner," he states gravely serious.

"What?" Graham flinches back from the unexpected report. He expected to know where Roark's location is.

"Fulcrum has a female prisoner," Chuck elaborates with the same seriousness. "We believe it is a CIA agent. Can you check to see if any female agents have gone missing?"

"Yes," Graham nods quickly, "I'll check. Please don't tell me that is all you got. I had to pull some strings to get Wit Sec to help Ms. Reed."

"We also have Roark's location," Bryce explains. "He will be landing at a private airstrip just outside of Pasadena in two days. We believe it would be most sufficient to apprehend him after his plane lands."

"We can camp out and secure the airstrip before he lands," Sarah continues the explanation.

"That's good work, team," Graham appraises them proudly. "It sounds like you've thought this out well enough. I will have a strike team formed at your disposal by the time you arrive in Los Angeles. You will ship out tomorrow at 1400 hours from Bolling Air Force Base."

"Yes, sir," they all nod in understanding.

**November 27, 2004**

Chuck is still a bit bitter about Bryce's crude joke about him having sex with Sarah; so on the drive home, there is a palpable tension that fills the cabin. Bryce is driving stiffly until he finally breaks the silence, "You know Sarah likes you," he declares casually.

"What?" Chuck looks over at his friend, partner, and roommate.

"She likes you," Bryce states almost dolefully.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Chuck asks incredulously with slightly narrowed eyes. Chuck may not be the most handsome person, but he is still generally attractive.

"It's gonna get her killed," Bryce replies without taking his eyes off the road.

"What are you talking about?" Chuck demands in confusion and agitation. Chuck wouldn't put it past him if Bryce was just trying to screw with Chuck's mind… again.

Bryce turns to Chuck with all his emotions, "Her feelings for you are going to get her killed!"

Chuck is taken aback by Bryce's seriousness and emotion. Bryce truly believes his words and Chuck is hard-pressed to come up with a counter point.

"Spies don't fall for each other," Bryce continues grimly as he stares out the windshield. "It causes them to think emotionally instead of logically."

"What are you trying to say?" Chuck questions after finally regaining his voice.

Bryce pulls into their garage and parks the car. "I'm saying that you need to stop your advances," Bryce replies as he steps out of his car and shuts the door.

"My advances?" Chuck reiterates in offense as he briskly catches up with Bryce as he gets into the elevator.

"She cannot be emotionally attached to you," Bryce explains seriously. "It's not safe."

"Why not?" Chuck argues emotionally. "Why is it so dangerous that she cares about me? I care about her!"

"And she's gonna get you killed!" Bryce replies loudly as if the conclusion is written in stone. "We can't have personal relationships! We're spies, not normal people!"

"We're no different than anyone else," Chuck responds bitterly as he dislikes the path this conversation has headed.

"You need to stop trying to win her over," Bryce demands as the elevator doors open to their floor.

"I'm not!" Chuck hollers as he quickly catches up to Bryce. "This isn't a competition. This is life; mine, yours, Sarah's!"

"Then stop trying to impress her," Bryce responds casually. "You owe me anyways."

"I owe you?" Chuck nearly flinches as his brow furrows in confusion. "For what?"

"Your red test," Bryce replies simply.

"How do I owe you for that?" Chuck demands angrily.

"I killed Blaine Jackson and saved your life in the process!" Bryce nearly shouts into Chuck's face.

"Yea and I'm thankful that you did," Chuck responds with almost as much anger as Bryce.

"You wouldn't be a spy if it wasn't for me," Bryce pressures adamantly.

"So what do you want then, huh?" Chuck looks at his best friend with hostility and cynicism.

"Stop trying to win Sarah over," Bryce responds coolly.

"I'm not trying to!" Chuck exasperatedly shouts.

"You are! Stop doing it or I will have to tell Graham you never passed your red test," Bryce threatens as he sticks the key into the door of their apartment.

"You're going to blackmail me for Sarah?" Chuck huffs in shock and resentment. "You know what?" Chuck's anger billows over and he loses all coherency. "Fine! You win! You can have Sarah all to your fucking self! Is that what you want so god damn bad?" Chuck pushes through the door angrily. "You can have her! I'll stop *trying* to win her over!" Chuck storms towards his room, completely ignoring his father sitting on the couch. "You happy?"

Bryce remains silent as they both separate and Chuck steps into his room and slams the door forcefully. Bryce quickly retreats into his room, leaving Stephen befuddled on the couch.

"What the hell was that all about?" He asks himself in complete confusion.

**November 28, 2004**

The team waits at Bolling Air Force Base for their plane to be fueled and ready. Sarah immediately recognized the distance between her partners. It is getting increasingly worse each day. Since their fight, they've grown to despise each other. They even drove in different vehicles which is just ridiculous. She cannot let two people who were best of friends fall out any further because of her. It angers her that she is the reason they are breaking up and falling apart. If she lets it continue, they aren't going to be able to work with each other ever again, so she needs to make everything right. She cannot live with the guilt of breaking up a five-year-strong friendship.

"The jet will be fueled in twenty minutes," one of the plane technician informs them; breaking Sarah from her thoughts.

"Twenty minutes?" Sarah nearly screams in misplaced anger as her short temper is overloaded by this last small delay. "We've been waiting for half an hour! Hurry up!" She stalks off angrily.

"Yes, ma'am," the technician replies with an audible gulp.

Chuck is shocked by Sarah's anger. He doesn't understand what could be causing it. He watches her intently as she walks past the airstrip and finds a small curb to sit on where it is far enough away from the base so it is relatively quiet.

Sarah sits there deep in thought as she gazes past the bustling grass as the wind picks up slightly and towards the distant city of Washington D.C. Her mind is filled with ideas of stopping the feud between Chuck and Bryce. _Should I tell them to stop? Should I choose one of them? Do I want a relationship? Am I ready?_ Sarah asks herself. She knows that Chuck is the person who would want to spend a rich, long, deep relationship while Bryce is looking for a thrill and uninhibited sex. He is someone who lives in the moment and will keep her life from ever having a dull moment… until he is ready for something more with whoever it may be. Sarah's thoughts are interrupted when Chuck sits down next to her. She remains transfixed without glancing at him while staying silent.

Chuck knows that his whole argument with Bryce was about this very thing: caring for and about Sarah and her wellbeing. But he wants her to be happy and ready for the mission. Her mind needs to be focused, and that is what he associates his care for her with. "Sarah," Chuck nearly whispers her name, "what's going on?"

"Nothing," She replies coldly as she continues to gaze off into the distance. The wind picks up further and she crosses her arms for warmth.

Chuck notices her huddle for warmth and removes his jacket. He gently wraps it over her shoulders. She hugs it to her tightly, but doesn't say anything or let her gaze falter form the distant city. "Sarah," Chuck soothingly pressures, "talk to me. You can tell me anything."

"I'm going to ask for reassignment," she states without even looking at him.

"What?" Chuck flinches back in surprise and pain. "Why?"

"I can't let this go any further, Chuck," she finally turns her head and looks at him. He looks back and sees her hair blowing in the wind as it covers half her face. She looks like a precious angel, but her eyes are filled with sorrow and regret. "You guys are best friends. I don't want to come between you."

"Sarah, I have no idea what you're talking about," Chuck persists.

"You and Bryce!" Sarah hisses before sighing. "I know you guys are fighting over me… It has to stop. This is the only way."

"Sarah," Chuck sighs heavily as his heart wrenches in pain, "I'm not fighting for you; at least not anymore."

"You're giving up?" Sarah asks indignantly. She's surprised by how much it hurts to know that Chuck would give up on her and stop fighting for her so easily.

"No," Chuck states boldly. "I'll never give up on you…" He sighs heavily with regret. "But I owe Bryce."

"For what?" Sarah asks curiously as she gazes back at him. Again, the wind causes her golden hair to frame her face angelically.

"I can't tell you," Chuck replies remorsefully.

"And it's more important than me?"

"No," Chuck answers just as boldly as his first time saying no. "But the fighting is stopping now. Just please don't ask for reassignment," Chuck bears out his heart and soul. "Because I'd rather get to see your beautiful smile and gorgeous eyes every day then never see you again." Sarah gazes into his eyes as tears start to muddy his chocolate brown eyes. "I can't lose you, Sarah. So please, Sarah, don't ask for reassignment. That is all I ask." Chuck needs to fight away the tears begging to reveal themselves so he stands up and places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'll be waiting by the plane with Bryce." Chuck lets his hand linger before it gently glides off her and he leaves her to silence and more specifically, her thoughts.

Sarah doesn't know what to say. She felt her own eyes tearing up at that heartfelt confession. Chuck would do anything for her and would give up fighting for her love just to make sure she doesn't leave him. She finally realizes she can't get reassigned. She has too much stake in this partnership; this relationship. She's never been loved, nor does she know how it feels, but the moment that just happened is the closest thing she can think of to classifying Chuck's feelings for her as love. He gave her his heart and now the ball is on her court and she needs to decide if she wants to let him in and give him her love or break his heart and shoot him down. She doesn't know if she can let Chuck down because she cares too much about him and it would devastate him, but she doesn't know if she could give him the love he deserves. She doesn't even know if she is capable of love.

**November 28, 2004**

Jennifer is sitting at her desk and thinking about the baby that will be growing inside her in just a few months. She and her husband have been trying nonstop to have a baby, which she cannot complain about because the copious amounts of sex are just fantastic but she wants more than the just sex. She wants to give life to someone; someone she can call her child. The phone rings, jarring her from her thoughts and she answers it with her customary, "Graham's office." A wave of confusion falls over her facial features as she listens to the man on the other line. Finally, she appeases the man on the other line, "One second please. I'm patching you through now."

Graham sees the small light appear by 'Line 4' of his desk phone and his intercom chirps to life. "Sir, you have a caller on Line 4. He says it's urgent and goes by the name, Orion."

Graham's eyebrows shoot up in surprise at hearing the name. "Patch him through," Graham states immediately as he hits the 'talk' button on the intercom. Graham lifts the phone and puts it to his ear. "Orion," he states reverently.

"Director Graham," Stephen states on the other line, but his tone is filled with worry and anxiety, "You've been looking for me."

"Yes, we have," Graham replies calmly as he tries to keep his body from quivering with excitement.

"I know my son is the Intersect and works for you," Stephen starts explaining.

"You do?" Graham asks in shock. They've kept the Intersect under pretty thick wraps.

"I don't have time to explain everything," Stephen states anxiously. "I need your help and I'm willing to do anything for your help."

"Come in and I can see what we can do," Graham responds coolly.

"I don't have time!" Stephen stresses. "Please, I will build you your Intersect, but right now, Roark has my daughter. I just intercepted a message he sent out." Stephen's voice trembles with emotion. "Please, he is holding her ransom. He wants me to exchange myself for her."

"How do I know this isn't some Fulcrum trap?" Graham asks halfheartedly as he needs to cover all his bases, but worry is filling inside him at the thought of the Intersect's sister being in trouble.

"Look at your computer screen," Stephen states and Graham looks at his computer screen at the corner of his desk. The desktop is replaced with a live feed of Stephen Bartowski sitting there worriedly. "Please," he begs through the live camera feed, "you're my only hope." Suddenly, a video plays over Stephen's face.

The video shows Eleanor Faye Bartowski sitting in a chair inside a concrete room. Her wrists and ankles are bound and she has a cloth wrapped tightly over her mouth. Her eyes are filled with tears and her cheeks are sprinkled with salt from the dried tears and grime. There is a ring of sweat around the collar of her blouse and she doesn't look to be physically harmed as there aren't any bruises or gashes. Roark steps into view from the side of the camera and he steps up to her, turning towards the camera. "Stephen," he shakes his head disbelieving, "my good friend. It's so sad that it has to come to this. I was really hoping you'd be more civil, but I guess you just couldn't help an old friend out. She's quite attractive…" Roark tucks some of Ellie's hairs behind her ear as he gazes upon her. She squirms fearfully as she wrenches her eyes closed. "You should be smarter about your children… I don't want to have to hurt your precious girl, but if you don't give yourself up, then I will," Roark speaks with faux regret. "I think it's a fair trade, you for your daughter…" He continues nonchalantly. "Or do you not love her enough? Time to make a decision. You have forty eight hours before I kill her," Roark bellows a maniacal laugh and the feed ends.

Graham watches in surprise and frustration. He holds the phone to his ear and assertively states, "I'll send a team right away."

**November 28, 2004**

Chuck, Bryce, and Sarah are all standing by the plane, still waiting for it to be ready for the flight. Chuck's phone rings and he looks down at him to see Devon Woodcomb's smiling face. Chuck crooks his head as he has no idea why Devon would be calling. As he hits the 'accept' button and puts the phone to his ear, Sarah's phone rings. "Hey Awesome," Chuck states cheerily while watching Sarah pull her phone to her ear. "What's up?"

"Hey bro," Devon replies in a shaky frail tone. "Have you talked to your sister lately?"

"No… why?" Chuck responds hesitantly and unknowingly as he sees Sarah's face slowly fall into anger and depression.

"It's just…" Devon fumbles over his words as he fights the painful emotions growing inside him. "She didn't come home last night."

"Maybe she worked the night shift at the hospital," Chuck suggests unsuspectingly.

"That's just it," Devon replies confusedly. "I called the hospital and they said she left last night. She isn't picking up her phone and I'm worried."

"I'll try calling her," Chuck tries to calm Devon down. "I'm sure she's fine."

"Yea," Devon agrees feebly. "I'm sure you're right."

"I gotta go, Devon, but I'll try calling her right away."

"Thanks, bro."

"No problem," Chuck hangs up the phone and sees the deathly pale look on Sarah's face. "That was kind of weird. Devon just called looking for Ellie. She didn't come home last night or something. I'm gonna try to call her real quick before we take off." Sarah's face stays absolutely still and pales further. "What?" Chuck furrows his brow.

"Chuck," she swallows a lump forming in her throat, "Roark has your sister."

Chuck's brow furrows for a second, then his mouth forms in the shape of saying 'what,' until finally he realizes what Sarah just implicated. "No!" Chuck shakes his head vehemently. "He can't! How could he even know about her?"

"Chuck," Sarah pulls him into a tight hug as she wraps her arms under his armpits and hooks them on his shoulders, bringing herself closer to him, "we're going to save her," her voice wavers with emotion. "I promise you. We're HALO jumping in by C-130 Hercules. Chuck," she looks into his glassy eyes as he continues to try and deny it, "She's going to be alright. I promise you we'll save her." She holds onto him tightly, afraid he will shatter if she lets him go.

**November 28, 2004**

Chuck is sitting inside the cabin of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft; his knee is trembling with anxiety and fear for his sister, and his body is constantly shivering. He tries looking out the small window to see the black sky of dusk blanket the plane. "You jump in ten," the pilot informs the agents.

Bryce and Sarah stand up and start fitting on their parachutes over their black BDU outfits. As Sarah buckles the harness over her waist, she looks up to see Chuck still trembling in his seat as he stares out the window and into oblivion. She buckles the straps across her chest as she sits down next to him. "Chuck?" She asks softly. He jerks his head towards her as if he had no idea she was sitting there. "We need to get ready," Sarah continues humbly. "We jump in just over five minutes." She looks into his fearful, worried eyes. "We're going to save her, Chuck," she guarantees confidently. "You once told me I was part of your family and that makes Ellie like a sister to me. We're saving her, Chuck," she states with pure conviction as her eyes charge bright blue with emotion. "I won't have it any other way." She stands up and lifts him out of his seat by his forearm. "Now get your chute on, soldier. We have family to save."

Chuck cannot help but let a small smile sneak out of his lips at how Sarah is acting. She knows how ridiculous she is being, but she actually feels a little better, especially after seeing the tiny smile form on Chuck's face. She knows that Ellie and Devon aren't her family, but if it helps Chuck's mentality, then she will call them her family for the rest of her life. "Thank you, Sarah," Chuck declares humbly and moved.

She gives him a glancing smile, "no problem."

"You jump in five," the pilot informs them.

Chuck quickly starts strapping his chute on securely. "Alright," Sarah commands the two men as she hands them an earpiece and microphone watch before pacing in front of them as if she is their drill sergeant, "we land on top of Roark Instruments. Our first priority is to find Eleanor Bartowski," Sarah winks at Chuck; brightening his spirits. "We believe she is being held on the third floor. Once she is located and secured, we infiltrate Roark Instruments and apprehend Ted Roark." Sarah steps up to Chuck as he fumbles with the buckle across his chest. She slowly clasps it together; her knuckles grazing his chiseled pectoral muscles. She looks up at Chuck with a reverently subtle smile, "Then we destroy Roark's database with the stick of C4 we all have," she pats her leg where it is resting calmly. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck and Bryce salute to her and she salutes back. She then turns to the case next to her and pulls out three helmets with goggles and masks attached to them. She hands one to each guy and fits hers on her head. She pulls down the goggles over her eyes and looks at her two partners. They are both dressed up in black BDU outfits with black parachute packs and black helmets with goggles to protect their eyes from the airstream and masks to breathe pure oxygen.

"You jump in thirty," the pilot informs them as the tail end opens up slowly. All three agents hold onto something secure as they watch the black night's gale rush through the cabin. "One person for every green light."

They all glance at the red light on the wall next to the tail lift. "Bryce, you go first," Sarah directs as she has to shout over the thrashing wind stream. "Then you, Chuck." She glances at him and smiles widely. "I'll see you down there!" She screams over the turbulent airstream before placing her mask over her mouth.

Bryce readies himself and when the light shifts to green, he sprints out the back and dives forward. The light turns back red a second later and Chuck readies himself. The light turns green and Sarah gives him a comforting push and he jumps out into the blackness, disappearing from Sarah's vision. She waits for the light to switch back to green. When it does, she leaps out the back and spreads her arms as she is hit by a heavy wave of gust. She looks down to see the faint silhouette of her two partners as they drop in complete free fall.

Bryce slices through the air in the shape of a dagger as he keeps his arms pressed to his sides and his legs outstretched and touching. He watches carefully as the ground quickly rises towards him. He finally sees the form of Roark Instruments and waits patiently for the right time to pull his chute. He looks at the small gauge on his strap to show it constantly decreasing past 3000 feet… 2500ft… and at 2000ft; he pulls the T-11 parachute. The black nylon material shoots out of the pack on his back and spreads open in the shape of a square.

Chuck instantly sees Bryce's chute open and pulls on his. He feels the pack move slightly as the chute flies out and opens over the night sky. He instantly feels his body jerk back from the sudden deceleration as the straps tighten over his shoulders. Sarah sees both chutes open and pulls her own. The chute whips her back, but she quickly gains control of it as she gently soars towards Roark Instruments with her partners a few feet ahead of her.

Bryce eases on the strings as he directs himself for the large black target of the roof of Roark Instruments. He sees everything come into focus as he closes the gap between himself and the roof. At thirty feet before touching down, he pulls on both strings to slow his descent. The roof rapidly approaches him and as he hovers inches over it, he lets his feet kick along the rubble until he cannot stop himself so he rolls along the roof until he comes to a complete stop. He quickly stands himself up and pulls his chute in before the wind could pick it up.

Chuck follows right behind and reels his chute quickly. He can definitely understand the thrill that Devon gets from skydiving because it is quite exhilarating. Chuck's heart was pounding from the moment he hit the free air and if it wasn't such a dire situation, he could've actually enjoyed the descent. He follows Bryce's suit and folds it back up to fit back in the backpack as Sarah lands with a somersault. When they retract their chutes and repack them, they convene on the roof by the 'roof access' door. They all remove their weapons from their holsters and ready them. Chuck pulls back the slide on his tranquilizer gun as he studies it with dislike. He thought about using a real gun. It may only have been because these bastards took his sister, but he has never felt the urge to kill someone more in his entire life.

"Radio check," Sarah states into her microphone watch.

"Check," Bryce nods after hearing Sarah chirp into his ear.

"Check," Chuck declares after hearing Sarah's voice fill his left ear.

"Good. You ready?" Sarah asks as she tears her mask off and pockets it into her backpack with the oxygen tank.

Chuck and Bryce both nod as they put their masks and oxygen tanks away.

**Oooo… Cliffhanger. Yikes…**

**Please review.**


	25. This is Not The End

**Thanks for all the reviews so far. And all of you who have been enjoying reading this story. I'm surprised no one caught my Star Wars reference when Orion told Graham he was the only hope. I only have one thing to say: Writer's block is a bitch!**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**November 28, 2004**

Sarah looks down the sight of her Smith and Wesson Model 5906 pistol as her left hand gently opens the 'roof access' door. She knows what her mission is: to save Chuck's sister, even if Graham's number one priority is to capture Roark. Bryce and Chuck follow on her heels as she enters the stairwell cautiously. She glances down over the railing to see all fifteen floors down to the ground level. She doesn't see anyone in the stairwell and she looks up in the corner but there is no camera. "We're clear," she whispers as they start heading down.

They quickly step down the stairs while making sure there aren't any security cameras throughout. They arrive to the third floor and Sarah stops them at the door. She peeks through the small window to the empty hallway that looks like it has small cells along the left side while the right side is absent of doors except for a single turn halfway through. "Keep moving," she whispers as she gets the door open and they step into the empty hallway. "Check each room," she commands Chuck and Bryce. "I'll watch our backs."

Chuck and Bryce peek into each room looking for Ellie, but every room has come up empty. "She's not here," Chuck hisses angrily in a whisper. "Where is she?" Chuck demands worriedly as his tone wavers with emotion.

"We'll find her Chuck," Sarah assures as they get to the end of the hallway.

"Chuck," Bryce cuts in calmly, "this door has the same keypad as the one in the warehouse."

"Let me see," Chuck glares at it and he is hit with a flash. He sees the exact order for the door and quickly presses the buttons in correct synchronization. The door opens and the three spies step inside a deeper room.

"Thank god for the Intersect," Bryce whispers with a small grin towards Chuck. He wouldn't dare try to tease Chuck during such a grave situation. Ellie has treated him like a brother and he would like nothing more than to save her. He's never really had much of a family and his parents weren't around too much when he was growing up, working as a talent agent and a hair stylist. They loved their jobs, but he felt like they neglected him a little too much, so when he got the scholarship to Stanford, he was on the first bus out of Connecticut and into California. He was always a very likable person, but when he and Chuck became friends, it was something different. From the story of their parents leaving them to fend for themselves at such a young age to the care and sincerity they showed him, it was quite surprising and amazing at the same time.

As they look through the room, they realize how large it is. It is about the size of a football field. Chuck furrows his brow as he doesn't see how anyone could want a room this large, nor with the ugly plain white paint job across the tiled walls. "This wasn't in the blueprints," Sarah muses as she looks around in wonderment.

As realization hits Chuck, his eyes widen beyond belief. "This is an Intersect room!" He almost shouts, but keeps it in a loud whisper. "Roark has the room already built and ready. He just needs my father to build him the Intersect."

"This is not good," Bryce muses as he looks down the large room and starts walking deeper into the center.

"What are you doing?" Chuck whispers in curiosity as Bryce strays from their pack.

"We need to destroy it," Bryce pulls out his stick of C4. "You think this will be sufficient?" He flashes the brick to his two partners.

"Maybe," Sarah pulls hers out. "Here," she tosses it to him. "Just in case."

Bryce catches it and rigs the two sticks on each side of the room for a maximum explosion radius. He sets the charges to remotely detonate with the triggers stuffed deep into the plastic material. He pockets both detonators and rejoins the team. "Now let's find Ellie, arrest that prick, Roark, and get the hell out of here."

They find another door on the opposite side of where they came in and follow it into a hallway with barren cement walls that look thick enough to survive a nuclear blast. They continue until they find a fork where there is a stairwell down or they can continue forward. "Which way?" Chuck asks unsurely.

"Ellie is most likely down," Sarah responds as dungeons tend to be underground. The thought of what they may be doing to Ellie in the dungeon sickens Sarah deeply.

"Then we go down," Chuck states determinedly as he takes the lead; Bryce and Sarah on his heels.

Bryce and Sarah aren't ready to argue with Chuck's determination, so they follow him down the stairs. They take the stairs one floor down and they reach an intersection. Chuck presses his back to the wall and peeks out down the hallway. He sees two guards standing in front of a door. He hides back against the wall and looks at his two partners. He puts up two fingers to inform them the number of enemies. "I got them," he whispers as he is the only one with a silent weapon. They both nod and Chuck aims the tranquilizer pistol around the corner. He carefully aims on the two unaware guards and fires two shots each into their necks.

After the four silent puffs of air, the two guards crumble to the floor in a deep slumber. "Let's go," Chuck whispers as they close the gap to the enemies and kick away the weapons just in case. Chuck looks the door up and down and notices that it is a steel door that looks like it is meant to hold something inside… or someone. Chuck eyes the handprint scanner next to the door and grabs one of the guard's limp hands. He presses the hand to the scanner and the door beeps contently. Chuck drops the hand as the door slides open.

Chuck immediately recognizes the brown-eyed brunette strapped down to the chair. Their eyes lock and Chuck sighs, "Ellie!" He sprints up to her and pulls her into the tightest hug he can. Ellie is relieved to see someone she knows, but has no idea what Chuck is doing. Chuck is just an accountant, but in his outfit, he looks like a stealthy soldier… a spy. Chuck finally releases her and starts undoing her binds, starting with the cloth in her mouth.

Sarah and Bryce calmly walk in the room, relieved that Ellie is unharmed. Sarah watches the reunion in fascination while Bryce drags the guards sleeping bodies into the room to hide them.

"Chuck?" Ellie gasps in shock. "What are you doing here? Bryce? Sarah?"

"Shh…" Chuck hushes her gently as he undoes the last of her binds. "We're here to save you."

"But you?" Ellie asks confusedly. She believes he is just an accountant, but he is here saving her from captivity. "You're not an accountant, are you?"

"No, Ellie," Chuck states seriously, "we're spies." He grins welcomingly as her eyes widen slowly with recognition.

"What?" tumbles out of her mouth in complete surprise.

"We work for the government," Chuck informs his sister as he helps her stand up. "Are you hurt at all?"

"Um… no," Ellie responds as her mind is still trying to process the whole 'we're spies' bomb.

"Alright," Chuck puts a hand on each of her shoulders so she has to look him square in the eyes, "El, Sarah is going to lead you out of here. Bryce and I will be right behind you."

"What?" Sarah barges in. "Why me?"

Chuck turns to Sarah and gazes into her expectant blue eyes. "Because I trust you with my family," Chuck states with pure conviction. "Please," Chuck pleads calmly before he looks back into Ellie's confused eyes. "I know you have a lot of questions… and I'll answer everything once we're safe. I promise."

"Okay," Ellie nods as she accepts Chuck's honest words.

"We don't have all day," Bryce informs them as he constantly peeks out into the hallway.

"Let's get out of here," Chuck states as he takes lead with Sarah behind him, then Ellie, and finally Bryce to guard their backs.

They head back the way they came, up the concrete stairwell, through the Intersect room, and to the stairwell. Fortunately, there weren't any enemies. Chuck stops them in the stairwell. He turns to Sarah and pulls her close to him as he places a hand on each of her shoulders. "Sarah," Chuck gazes into her blue eyes, "get Ellie out of here. I have complete faith in you and I know you won't let me down. Bryce and I will be right behind you," he pulls her into a tight embrace. She relaxes into him as it will be the last time she feels tranquil and calm until the end of the mission. "Can you do that for me? Can you get Ellie out?" He steps back so they can look into each other's eyes but remain joined at the waist.

"Yes," Sarah nods determinedly. She would do anything for Chuck and anything for his family.

"Thank you, Sarah," Chuck states with utter gratitude. He turns to Ellie, who is still shell-shocked by the whole ordeal. "Ellie, Sarah is going to get you out of here," he informs her with a small smile.

"What about you?" Ellie asks worriedly.

"Bryce and I are going to stop Roark once and for all," Chuck responds confidently.

Ellie glances over at Bryce and sees the determined grin on his face and then back to Chuck. "Okay, Chuck, but I want answers when we get out."

"Okay," Chuck nods as he pulls her into a hug. "I love you, Ellie. I'm sorry you got in this mess."

"I love you too, Chuck," she grins subtly at him.

"We need to go," Sarah informs the siblings.

"Okay," Chuck hands Ellie over to Sarah.

Just before splitting up, Ellie pulls Bryce into a hug. "Don't you dare let my brother get hurt, you hear me?" She demands as she holds him tightly.

"I'll do my best," Bryce responds as he never knew Ellie could hug so gently. It is still tight, but not a vice grip like he's used to.

"Let's go," Sarah leads Ellie out of the room. "I'll see you guys at the extraction point," Sarah grins at Bryce and then Chuck.

"See you there," Bryce responds casually while Chuck nods determinedly.

Sarah leads Ellie down the stairs while Bryce and Chuck head up the stairs.

"Okay," Chuck states as they continue up the stairs, "Roark's office is on the fourteenth floor. We'll check there first."

"If we get that far," Bryce states in a strained voice as he hears the stairwell door open a couple floors above them. They both hug the wall farthest from the center of the stairwell as they fall deathly silent. They listen for the footsteps as they count out about two or three people and the footsteps are getting louder, so they must be descending onto Chuck and Bryce's position. Chuck and Bryce both ready their guns as they aim at the top of the flight of stairs. Chuck sees Bryce's gun from the corner of his eye and glances at him.

"It could be civilians," Chuck whispers tersely.

"What do you want me to do?" Bryce whispers a bit agitatedly.

"I'll take them out," Chuck answers. "Only shoot if you have to."

"Fine," Bryce aims his gun at the top of the flight of stairs with Chuck. The footsteps get louder and louder until Chuck sees the start of black shoes with black pants. As he sees the first person turn towards them, he sees the gun on his hip. "Shoot!" Bryce commands as Chuck fires two darts into the man. Bryce fires his Five seveN handgun twice. Two large bangs persist through the air of the stairwell and two red blossoms appear on the next enemy's chest. The last enemy stops and crouches as he tries to pull his pistol out of its holster, but Chuck fires a true shot that sticks into his neck; he quickly stumbles to the ground before falling asleep.

"Oh my god!" Ellie jumps from the echo of the two loud bangs.

"Don't worry," Sarah assures with a comforting grin, "that was Bryce's gun. They're fine."

"It was?" Ellie asks shakily.

"Yep," Sarah perks up, "I can tell by the sound. They're just doing their job. We need to keep moving."

"Okay," Ellie unsurely responds as they get to the first floor. Sarah peeks out through the tiny window in the door and sees the large lobby. The elevators are to the left, the security desk is in the center with two guards, and the entrance is to the right, but there is a guard patrolling the front too.

Chuck gets to the fourteenth floor and peeks through the window while Bryce waits patiently for Chuck's 'all clear.' Chuck doesn't see any enemies so he opens the door with his tranq pistol aimed ahead of him. The floor looks like a normal office building with cubicles on both sides. Since it is nearly midnight, there aren't any occupants so they crouch below the cubicle walls as they maneuver the floor.

Sarah studies her situation intently. The stairwell exit is too far forward for her to sneak out because the two security guards at the desk have a peripheral sight on the door. She could step out and kill both of them and run, but she doesn't want to alert the entire building in fear of getting Chuck and Bryce caught or taking her chances of three on one. "What are you doing?" Ellie wishes worriedly.

"Finding a way out," Sarah responds as she hears a door open into the stairwell. "Shh…" Sarah shushes Ellie and presses her finger to her mouth to get Ellie to quiet down. Sarah peeks up the top of the spiral, but cannot tell which floor it came from. She waits patiently with her gun aimed at the stairwell as she hears faint footsteps. The footsteps get quieter, so Sarah deducts they must be heading up. A few seconds later, she hears a faint crackle of a radio.

"We have intruders," Sarah hears faintly from a male voice. "Lock the building down!"

"Shit," Sarah hisses as she looks into the fearful eyes of Ellie. Sarah looks back out the small window in the door to see the two security guards at the desk look absorbedly at the monitors in front of them while the guard outside is locking the large glass doors to the building. Sarah watches as one of the guards at the booth pulls a radio to his mouth.

"Intruders on level fourteen," Sarah hears the guard in the stairwell's radio chirp distantly.

"Chuck, Bryce," Sarah whispers hastily into her microphone, "you've been made. Get a move on."

"Roger that," Chuck responds as he glances back at the stairwell door. The door flies open to reveal an enemy and he quickly fires a pair of tranq darts. "We need to move," Chuck declares boldly as he and Bryce start sprinting through the hallway.

"They're taking the elevators," Sarah informs her two partners through the earpiece as she watches an army of eight men in all black G-men suits with their hands on their holstered Glock handguns sprinting towards the elevator.

"Roger that," Chuck responds as he and Bryce sprint through the hallway. At the corner of Chuck's eye, he sees the elevator room where there are two large elevators. He stops suddenly and turns into the room.

"What're you doing?" Bryce demands hastily.

"Disabling the elevators," Chuck responds nonchalantly as he pulls his tactical knife from its sheath. He slides the knife in the thin gap behind the button panel and wrenches the panel off. A screeching noise seeps out of the metal as it bends unnaturally and the screws retreat from inside the wall. Chuck looks at the wires flowing from inside the hole the panel once covered. "Sarah, tell me when they get in the elevator, "Chuck directs into his watch. He then turns to Bryce and states, "watch my back."

"Fine," Bryce huffs as he cautiously peeks his head out of the elevator room and into the hallway.

Sarah watches through the window as she sees the eight men enter the left elevator. After the doors close, Sarah quickly informs Chuck, "They're in the left elevator!"

"Thanks, Sarah," Chuck responds as he grins victoriously. "And now you're all going to be stuck," he murmurs haughtily as he slices the wires, causing both elevators to stop instantly. The enemies are now all stuck in the elevator car between the first and second floor.

"Chuck," Bryce whispers hurriedly, "we have company. Hurry up."

"I'm good," Chuck pockets his knife and readies his tranq pistol. He gets right behind Bryce ready for their next move.

Bryce watches inconspicuously with his right eye around the corner. "There's three of them," he whispers to Chuck. "Twelve, two, and ten."

"How do you want to do this?" Chuck asks.

"Which one do you want?"

"You know me," Chuck states humorously, "Mr. Indecisive."

"I got ten and twelve. You get two," Bryce responds; a thin grin forming on his face.

"Okay," Chuck whispers as he grips his pistol. He places his left hand on Bryce's shoulder to inform him that he's ready.

Bryce lifts his left hand up with three fingers extended. Chuck perches himself on his toes as he readies himself. Bryce drops a finger, leaving two left. Chuck tightens his grip on his pistol as he uses his left hand for extra stability. Bryce drops the next finger, leaving only one. Chuck breathes in deeply to cleanse himself. Bryce drops the last finger and he clenches his fist. He quickly pulls his left hand around the clip of his Five seveN and steps out into the hallway; Chuck right on his heels. They take only a couple steps until they are back in the open room with cubicles on both sides of them.

Bryce fires two quick shots at the enemy at twelve o'clock. Bryce's gun roars with violence as both bullets shred the enemy's chest. Bryce quickly ducks as Chuck stands tall behind him and fires two darts into the enemy at ten o'clock. Chuck's gun whistles with accuracy as the two darts stick into the enemy's forehead and left cheek. Bryce quickly fires two more shots in succession after turning towards the two o'clock enemy who is just raising his gun to fire. Two loud bangs erupt as the lead slices through the air and into the enemy's forehead and neck.

A loud bang from the left side, nine o'clock to be exact, causes Bryce to jump and turn towards the sound. Chuck feels a scalding pain hammer his upper left arm and he loses his balance while turning to the source of the bang. He sees an enemy standing with his gun aimed directly at Chuck. Chuck, as a last ditch effort, swings his right arm around and fires erratically at the enemy. The enemy fires another shot that tears into Chuck's right chest, causing Chuck to squeeze the trigger of his tranq pistol. Chuck gets off three darts as he falls to the ground in unbearable pain. Bryce sees the enemy slump to the ground after being hit by a dart to the face and to the neck.

Bryce looks behind him to see Chuck laying on the ground. "Chuck!" Bryce shouts tersely as he kneels over Chuck.

"Wow, that hurts," Chuck groans painfully as he holds his upper right chest with his left hand and his right hand crossed over to his left arm.

Bryce fights the anger that builds inside him and steps up to the man who shot Chuck. Bryce lets out a ferociously guttural scream as he fires bullet after bullet into the enemy's head. Bryce keeps squeezing the trigger until his gun starts clicking from the absence of bullets. "Dammit!" Bryce looks down at the bloody crater formed into the hollow carcass of the enemy's head. Bryce turns to Chuck, who was able to drag himself to a wall to sit against. Blood trickles out of Chuck's mouth and he spits it out to his left side. "Chuck," Bryce's voice wavers with emotion. It is probably the first time Chuck has ever heard Bryce's voice so raw and vulnerable. Bryce doesn't want to believe it. He can't believe it, and sure as hell doesn't want to acknowledge the fact that blood is starting to gush through the cracks in Chuck's left hand covering his chest wound.

"You do care about me," Chuck jokes as if it is the biggest surprise in the world. He tries to grin playfully, but it comes off as pained.

"Shut up," Bryce grins wryly through his damp eyes. "Now let's go, soldier. Get on your feet." Bryce tries to lift Chuck up by his right hand, but Chuck grunts loudly in pain and falls back down to the ground. "Come on, Chuck," Bryce cries out as he looks at his now bloody hand.

"Yea… I don't think I'm going to make it," Chuck responds hoarsely as he finds solace in his restful spot on the floor.

"You have to!" Bryce demands angrily. "You can't just give up! Not now!" Bryce's eyes actually start to tear up.

"What the hell is going on?" Sarah demands as she overhears their conversation on her earpiece.

Chuck digs into his pocket on his leg and pulls out the brick of C4 he has. His blood smears across the C4 as he tries to hand it to Bryce. "Take it," Chuck groans as he extends his outreached hand. "Blow Roark's database to shit."

Bryce hesitantly takes the C4 and pockets it. "I will," Bryce responds with a grim smile as he squeezes Chuck's bloody hand tightly.

"Take care of her for me," Chuck states tearfully as he reciprocates the mutual feeling by squeezing Bryce's hand. "Take care of Sarah for me."

"She loves you, buddy," Bryce states in reverence as he fights the tears from flowing. "She always has. I'm such an idiot. I'm so sorry for everything."

"It's okay," Chuck flashes a grimacing smile. "Just make sure you protect her. And make sure Ellie knows I love her."

"I will," Bryce states determinedly.

"Go," Chuck demands tersely. "Stop Roark once and for all."

Bryce grabs Chuck by the back of his head and presses his forehead to Chuck's. "I'm gonna miss you, buddy," Bryce sobs solemnly.

"I'll miss you, too," Chuck responds. "Now, go! You don't have all day!"

"Don't panic, Chuck," Bryce pulls out his reserve pistol, an H&K USP .45, and hands it to Chuck. "Take as many of those bastards out as you can."

Chuck grips the pistol almost worshipfully as he grips his right hand around it tightly as if it is foreign in his hand, but something that was once familiar. Chuck looks back up at Bryce. "Now get moving!" Bryce reluctantly leaves Chuck and heads for Roark's office and database; leaving Chuck to fend for himself.

A guard rushes in from the stairwell and Chuck raises his gun. He feels a flare of anger flow through him for what these people have done. They've taken him away from Sarah. They've taken him away from the ones he loves. He finds it almost tranquilly easy to fire the USP handgun as he aims it lazily at the enemy. He fires two cathartic shots that both hit their mark. The lone enemy is cut down immediately and falls to the floor.

"Chuck!" Sarah demands harshly. "What the hell is going on? Talk to me!" She has only heard tidbits of their conversation but it sounded gloomy and she heard Chuck tell Bryce to say he loves someone.

"Sarah," Chuck groans as he spits out some more blood, "I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about, Chuck?" Sarah fretfully asks over the radio. "Sorry for what?"

"I wish things could've been different," Chuck explains solemnly as he sees two enemies step onto his floor from the stairwell. He fires six erratic shots at the enemies and they both crumble to the ground. _You bastards took me from them,_ Chuck screams in his mind. _I'll never get to see Ellie get married because of you bastards. I'll never get to be with Sarah, the woman I love._

"Chuck, you're scaring me," Sarah worriedly deadpans.

"Sarah, I'm not going to make it," Chuck sighs despondently. The biggest letdown is that he will no longer be there for Sarah; to protect her, to cherish her, to comfort her.

"No," Sarah demands as she feels tears stinging her ever increasing moistening eyes.

"I didn't want it to end this way, Sarah," Chuck explains regretfully. "I'm so sorry."

"Where are you, Chuck?" Sarah demands tearfully. "I'm coming to save you!"

"No!" Chuck nearly shouts, but it comes out raucously. "You need to get Ellie out of here. Sarah, please," Chuck begs with a soft, emotional tone, "I'm trusting you with my family."

"No, Chuck," Sarah sobs in anger and sadness.

"You promised me you'd save her," Chuck pleads. "You made a promise to me."

"Dammit, Chuck!" Sarah cries out crossly. "Please…" Sarah grovels downheartedly.

"It's okay, Sarah," Chuck states in a tone that describes that he's come to terms with his unfortunate demise. "I've waited a long time to say this. Maybe too long," Chuck lets out a tiny chuckle that comes off as pained. "But Sarah, I love you. I know it's too late now, but you're the greatest thing to happen to me and I just want you to know that you're amazing. And there's a silver lining to all this…" Chuck tries to keep it airy. "Now you won't have to ask for reassignment."

"Chuck," Sarah snivels in a mess of tears.

Chuck tries to respond but his vision quickly darkens from the loss of blood and he finds the gun in his hand too heavy to carry. He tries to keep his eyes open but his eyelids weigh down with exhaustion and he lets them close. He falls into a hallucinogenic dream state.

_There are people with content smiles gathered on the benches behind me. I am wearing a formal tuxedo and am standing in the front of a line of men. Not more than five feet away, there is a line of women and Sarah is standing there smiling at me. I smile back unconsciously. She is just so beautiful. She is wearing a gorgeous teal gown that cuts off just above the knees. The other women are wearing the same thing. I look to my left and see Ellie and Devon holding hands. That is very sweet, but they are standing there for a reason. Ellie is in a gorgeous white flowing gown. She has a white veil pulled back to reveal her face. There are tears in her eyes, but they are tears of joy. She is smiling brightly while she stares into Devon's eyes. Devon is in an exquisite black tuxedo. _

_I finally realize that I'm at my own fictitious imagination of Ellie and Devon's wedding. Everyone seems so happy and I've never felt happier in my life. I watch as Ellie and Devon finally kiss as a married couple. Everyone cheers loudly at the joyous kiss between the newly married couple. I'm ecstatic to see Ellie so happy and joyful. She has done so much for me in my life and she deserves this happiness. I can feel tears of joy forming in my eyes. I never saw myself as a crying sap at weddings but I'm just so happy for Ellie. Oh god, here comes the tears. As I shed my first tear, a finger catches it on my cheek and I look over to see Sarah cupping my cheek as she glides her thumb just under my eye. Wow, she is so beautiful. Her hair is wavy and long; ending past the back of her shoulders. She has a huge smile on her face and gives me a gentle kiss on the lips. As her lips press against mine, I feel the electricity flow through me. Her soft luscious lips press into mine in a slow loving kiss. "Congratulations, Chuck," Sarah smiles brightly at me._

"_Thank you, Sarah," I reply excitedly. "You look gorgeous, by the way. But you always look gorgeous, but in that dress, you look like… wow! You look gorgeous…" Apparently I ramble even in my mind._

_Sarah giggles as she pulls herself into my arms. She plants a quick kiss on my lips; again electricity flows through me and reignites my body with passion and love. "You're so adorable when you ramble," she happily states with the brightest smile I've ever seen. "I love you, Chuck," she declares humbly with all her love and emotion._

Chuck quickly falls into unconsciousness and his gun slips out of his grip and clatters to the ground.

"Chuck?" Sarah demands, but gets no response. "Chuck! CHUCK!" Sarah begs with all her emotion, but gets no response. She decides to switch tactics before Ellie can ask what is going on. "Bryce!" Sarah demands almost hostilely. "Save Chuck!"

"I have to stop Roark," Bryce replies breathily as he sprints through the building.

"No, you need to save Chuck, "Sarah argues with her blackening heart filling with depression.

"The mission is more important," Bryce disputes as he hurries towards Roark's office.

"No it's not!" Sarah screams tearfully. "Bryce, he's your best friend!"

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Bryce replies honestly as sorrow seeps into his tone. "There isn't enough time."

"Dammit! Yes there is!" Sarah contends lividly. She is losing the man who loves her… the man she loves.

"Sarah," Bryce states humbly, "There's nothing I can do now."

"No!" Sarah cries out. "Do something!" She is quickly losing her coherency at losing the man who's so close to her heart. "No," Sarah stutters in a sob.

"Sarah, what's happening?" Ellie finally gets a word in while seeing the blonde crumble before her. "Where's Chuck?"

"He's gone," Sarah whispers mournfully as she lets her back press against the wall and she slides to the ground.

"What?" Ellie gasps in shock. "What do you mean 'he's gone'?"

"He's dead!" Sarah shouts angrily before dropping her head shamefully. "He's gone," she weeps to herself. "Chuck's gone."

Ellie drops to her knees numbly. Her loving brother, who has been there for her for over twenty years, is gone. Her cute little brother with the nerdy curls and giant heart is gone forever. Ellie crawls over to Sarah and pulls her into a hug. Sarah lets herself get engulfed by Ellie's motherly arms as they both cry together because of the mutual loss. "I'm so sorry," Ellie whispers as she holds Sarah tightly.

Sarah's mind finally starts processing everything and the situation they are in. They are still in the stairwell of the enemy's base and Sarah has one last task to accomplish. She promised Chuck to get his sister out safely and Sarah refuses to fall back on her pronise. She owes it to Chuck. Sarah opens her eyes and looks at Ellie with an unnervingly serious determination. "We're getting out of here."

Sarah stands up and looks through the window in the stairwell door to see that the two guards watching the monitors are now gone and the only one left is waiting by the door. Sarah wipes the salty streams along her cheeks and grips her Model 5906 firearm. She watches the guard intensely until the guard turns away from the stairwell door. Sarah gently eases the door open quietly and slips out into the lobby. She aims meticulously at the enemy's head as she blames him for the loss of Chuck and fires a single bullet. As her hand cannon explodes with animosity, the single golden bullet flies true through the air. The bullet slices into the enemy's left temple like a hot knife through butter as the bullet soars through the enemy's skull and out the right parietal bone and into the glass door behind the enemy. Blood splatters radially onto the glass to create almost a Rorschach-like test before it starts to drip down the translucent glass. The body finally collapses to the ground with a thud and Sarah turns back to the stairwell door and motions for Ellie, who is looking through the small window with shock, to follow. Ellie dazedly steps into the lobby as her eyes stay transfixed on the dead body.

"We're getting out of here," Sarah states brazenly as she fires three bullets into the glass door and it shatters into a million little pieces along the ground. Sarah leads Ellie through and out into the cold dark night.

Bryce finally finds Roark's office and begs to whatever god may be listening that Roark is in there. It is the least they deserve for Chuck sacrificing his life on this mission. Bryce sees the keypad by the door and it is one of those pattern ones that Chuck has flashed on earlier when getting into the Intersect room and at Roark's warehouse. It reminds Bryce of Chuck's amazing abilities and how he has lost his best friend and Bryce pushes the thoughts away as he squints his eyes tightly. He doesn't know the code to the door so he shoots the keypad twice. The door unlocks with a resounding click and Bryce lets out a very tiny smirk. "Who needs the Intersect?" He mumbles to himself victoriously.

He kicks the door open to reveal Roark's homey office with a cedar desk and Hawaiian wallpaper, but it is vacant of human life. Roark isn't here, so Bryce huffs agitatedly. _The gods aren't smiling on me today,_ he acknowledges glumly as he already lost his best friend. He quickly scans the room for a possible hidden compartment that houses the servers. He sees the humongous painting the length of nine feet and a width of four feet of whom else, but Roark himself. _Chauvinistic narcissistic bastard,_ Bryce remarks as he feels behind the painting until his fingertips glide over a tiny button. He presses it and the painting pops off. Bryce opens it to reveal the numerous black blade computers that make up the servers. There are cables running from on top of it and below it.

Bryce pulls out the C4 and notices the dried blood caked on it. _Chuck's blood,_ Bryce reminds himself miserably. He molds the C4 to the servers and charges the detonator. He tunes the frequency to match the other charges set in the Intersect room so he can blow all three with a single detonator. "The charges are set," Bryce informs Sarah. "I'm on my way out." He doesn't get a response as he hurries out of the room and back the way he came. _The least I can do is recover Chuck's body for the funeral_, Bryce thinks sadly as he sprints past the elevators and to the room Chuck died in. Bryce looks over to the area Chuck was last and he is gone. There aren't any blood tracks or trails. Bryce furrows his brow in confusion, but doesn't have the time. _I'm so sorry, Chuck,_ he declares in his mind as he rushes to the stairwell.

The stairwell is fairly empty other than the dead body and the two tranqed ones by Chuck. Bryce stops and fires a single bullet into each of the sleeping enemies' heads. "That's for Chuck," he murmurs poignantly before jumping down each flight of stairs as fast as he can.

"The front entrance should be open," Sarah finally speaks and Bryce can tell Sarah's voice is ragged and faint.

"Roger that," Bryce responds as he gets to the first floor. He bursts into the lobby from the stairwell door to see the blood splatter along the glass and the body on the ground. He quickly leaps through the open doorframe as he runs atop the shattered glass. He hurries to the extraction point behind some bushes one hundred feet from the building. As Bryce turns the corner, he sees Sarah forlornly sitting with her forearms despairingly resting on her raised knees and Ellie standing with her head down hopelessly. Both of them look numb and traumatized. Sarah glances up at him but drops her head back down at not seeing Chuck. Ellie looks at Bryce and sees that Chuck isn't with him.

"Where is he?" Ellie demands heatedly as she doesn't want to believe her brother is dead. "Where's Chuck?"

"He's gone," Bryce replies solemnly.

"No he's not!" Ellie screams in denial of losing her brother and only family she knows of. "Get back in there and save my brother!"

"Ellie," Bryce grabs her by the shoulders, "He's gone. Chuck is no longer with us."

"No he's not," Ellie sobs messily. "He can't be. He's my brother."

"I'm sorry," Bryce pulls Ellie into a hug. She limply rests her head against his shoulder as he holds her tightly. "He's in a better place now," he humbly comforts the heartbroken sister. He pulls the detonator from his pocket and insures he has a tight hold on the brunette before pressing the button to remote detonate the C4. Three loud booms blend together as the C4 explodes.

"No!" Ellie screams as she watches the building light up into a bright inferno. "Chuck," she shudders as she watches the flames engulf the majority of the building. "No," Ellie drops her head back onto Bryce's shoulder as she the tears pour out of her eyes.

Sarah glances up at Ellie crying her eyes out onto Bryce's shoulder. She feels the same way. She wants to cry her eyes out. She doesn't want to believe Chuck is dead. But she knows better. She knows Chuck is gone and she needs to stay strong. She cannot let her emotions take over her. "We need to update Graham," Sarah states in a monotone voice as she buries her emotions as deep as she can because it only causes her pain and heartache.

**Please review.**


	26. This is Just The Beginning

**Looks like the last chapter got a bit of a rise out of all you loyal readers. Thanks for the reviews and I've gone over 300 now! What an accomplishment and I couldn't do it without you.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**November 29, 2004**

Sarah shakily pulls out her phone and starts dialing Director Graham. Bryce notices her violent shakes and gently takes the phone from her. "I'll do it," he comforts softly. She nods thankfully as Bryce dials the number and presses the phone to his ear. "This is Larkin," he states after hearing the click of the phone being answered.

"Larkin?" Graham wonders with curiosity. "What happened? Did you arrest Roark? Is Carmichael's sister safe?"

"We missed Roark," Bryce starts gloomily, "but we rescued Chuck's sister and destroyed Roark's database and an Intersect room he had."

"That's great news," Graham responds cheerily, but he can tell there is something grim in Bryce's tone.

"Sir," Bryce sighs heavily, "Chuck didn't make it."

"What do you mean he didn't make it?" Graham demands naively.

"He's gone, sir. He was shot twice and didn't make it." Bryce hangs his head despondently.

"How the hell did he get killed?" Graham demands angrily. "He was the only human Intersect! Do you know how important he was? You and Walker were supposed to protect him!"

"Then I failed my mission, sir," Bryce states sorrowfully, but willing to take responsibility.

"God damn it!" Graham slams his fist against his desk. "How did this happen?" Graham asks exasperatedly.

"We were flanked," Bryce replies simply. "I fucked up, sir. I only counted three, but there were four," Bryce states dejectedly as he questions his abilities as a spy. "It's my fault."

Sarah watches Bryce's confession closely. Bryce is taking full responsibility for Chuck's death, which is going to deteriorate him quickly. She needs to make sure he knows it wasn't his fault. There wasn't anything he can do.

"So, you hampered Fulcrum and saved Ms. Bartowski, but lost the Intersect and didn't apprehend Roark?" Graham deducts disdainfully.

"That is correct, sir," Bryce responds as he knows this is ultimately a loss not just for the country, but for the people's lives Chuck has touched. "We're escorting Ms. Bartowski home and then will be back in D.C. as soon as possible."

**November 29, 2004**

"_This just in!"_ The female news reporter states with shock and enthusiasm in her tone. _"The Roark Instruments building has burned down,"_ she explains intensely. _"It is believed that there was an electrical fire that engulfed the entire building. We have yet to learn if there was anyone inside at the time of the fire. Theodore Roark, owner of Roark Instruments, has yet to comment."_

Devon sighs as television has gotten too useless because he is still worried for his fiancé. It's been a whole day since he's seen her and she has never pulled a stunt like this before. Devon has teetered on the idea of calling the police to file a missing person's report because he is so worried. Chuck never called him back so he fears that Chuck couldn't get a hold of her either. Devon lifts the phone into his hand as he contemplates calling Ellie's cell phone again. He hears the front door open and turns to see Ellie sprint in and jump into his arms.

"Devon!" Ellie shouts in relief as she squeezes as tight as she can; tears pouring out of her eyes. He forgets about the phone and lifts her up in his arms thankfully; the phone clattering along the floor.

"Ellie," Devon sighs tearfully as he gleefully spins her around in his arms, "where have been? Do you know how much you scared me? Babe, don't you ever do that to me again!"

"I'm so sorry," Ellie begs for forgiveness as she holds strong, afraid to let go of him. She presses her lips to his in fervent passion.

Sarah and Bryce walk in slowly with dejected looks on their face. They both lost their best friend tonight. As Devon finally puts Ellie down on her feet, he notices the two spies standing in the doorway and their spy-like attire. "Bryce? Sarah?" He asks curiously. "What're you guys doing here?"

"Don't freak out," Sarah starts cautiously.

"We have a lot to tell you," Bryce states calmly, but with a tone that shows he is deadly serious.

**November 29, 2004**

"What the hell do you mean you had a human Intersect this whole time?" General Diane Beckman barks lividly through her video feed connected to Graham's computer in his office. "The whole idea of the project was for us to work together!"

Graham knows he screwed the pooch on this one. He should've informed Beckman about Chuck the instant he was recruited, but Graham let his own goals supersede the treaty formed between the NSA and CIA after 9/11. The only things he can do now is sit there and take the fiery redhead's wrath head on.

"And he's dead?" Beckman screeches in utter disbelief. "This would've never happened if you worked with us!"

Graham knows he made a mistake, but he will not tolerate her insulting his ability to do his job. "General Beckman," he responds calmly, "without the human Intersect's abilities, we would be nowhere in stopping Fulcrum. Now we not only know that Roark controls them, but we've caused them irreparable damage. So don't even think to question my abilities as the director!" Graham finishes boldly.

"You really fucked up," Beckman declares bitterly. "I don't care how useful the Intersect was, you still let him die! You should've informed me about him. We could've worked together. I could've sent my best agent to protect him."

"Oh please," Graham responds incredulously with narrow eyes, "Major Casey is a cold school killer. He doesn't know how to play babysitter."

"Major Casey is experienced in multiple scenarios and situations," Beckman defends her star agent. "This would never have happened if he was protecting the Intersect."

"General," Graham sighs as he is sick of the fighting, "the past is the past. We need to plan for the future."

"Are you going to let me in on this 'so-called future' of yours?" Beckman questions sarcastically.

Graham ignores her question and continues to the point. "Orion is set to meet me in my office in one hour. He has offered his abilities to create a new Intersect for us."

Beckman falls silent at hearing the codename of one of the most dangerous computer scientists the government knows of. She even once led a team to try and capture Orion, but he knew their every move as if he was part of their meetings. She even tried using non-electronic communications, but still failed to find anything about the mysterious Orion.

Graham smirks victoriously at how quickly the name, Orion, shut her up. "Hopefully, he can build us an Intersect before Fulcrum can recuperate."

"I want in on this," Beckman demands ferociously. "Major Casey and I *will* be read onto the team, Beckman declares with no room for argument.

"Very well," Graham replies reluctantly.

**November 29, 2004**

"You mean you guys are spies?" Devon asks in wonderment. Bryce and Sarah both nod. "That's awesome! Chuck is a spy too? That is so cool!" Devon exclaims as he looks down at the solemn expression on Ellie's face. Sarah looks away painfully at the mention of Chuck while Bryce looks down somberly. Ellie hugs Devon tightly and Devon furrows his brow. "What? Hey, where is Chuck?"

"He's gone," Bryce whispers sadly. "He was killed on our last mission."

"What?" Devon gasps in shock. He looks at the dejected faces of the two spies and then down at Ellie's tearful eyes.

"That's why Ellie didn't come home last night," Bryce continues slowly to make sure Devon can take the situation. "She was… kidnapped."

Devon's grip defensively tightens on Ellie and his face veils over with anger. "What do you mean?"

"She was taken by an evil organization," Bryce explains. "We were sent in to rescue her and stop the organization."

"And did you?" Devon queries angrily.

"No, we didn't stop them," Bryce drops his head shamefully.

"So Chuck died for nothing?" Devon questions lividly. Chuck was like a brother to him and was a huge part of Ellie's life.

"No, we hurt them," Sarah finally talks for the first time in a while. She can't let Chuck's sacrifice be in vain; she won't let it by for nothing. "With Chuck's help, we not only saved Ellie, but significantly damaged them." Sarah fights away the tears demanding to come out. "I know you probably don't need to hear this to know this… but Chuck was a hero," Sarah declares emotionally as a single tear trickles out of her right eye.

Devon watches the depression and sorrow blanket over the spies and Ellie and he looks into Ellie's eyes for confirmation. Her large brown eyes glimmer with tears and honesty and Devon's face falls. "I'm so sorry, babe," he pulls her back into his arms.

**November 29, 2004**

"Director Graham," Stephen shakes Graham's hand sincerely. "Is my daughter safe?"

"Yes," Graham responds after shaking Orion's hand. "I'm glad you've decided to work with us."

"Does that mean Chuck was successful with his mission?" Stephen ponders excitedly. "Did he capture Roark?"

"I regret to inform you, Stephen," Graham looks him in the eyes," your son didn't make it."

"What do you mean?" Stephen tenses in fear of the worst.

"He was killed while infiltrating Roark Instruments," Graham elaborates sorrowfully. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"No," Stephen gasps as his body tenses in unbearable pain. "Dammit! This is why he shouldn't have been a spy!" Stephen thrashes around as he punches the wall. "This is exactly why I didn't want him to be a spy," he admits through clenched teeth.

Graham decides it is better to keep quiet and let Stephen take his emotions out. Stephen leans his forehead against the wall as he fights the tears trying to pour out of his eyes. He was only just reunited with his son and now he's lost him. His son was one of the three most important things in his life; his daughter, Ellie, and wife, Mary, being the other two. Tears leak from his eyes as he tries to contain his anger, sadness, and resentment. "How did it happen?" He demands tearfully.

"He was flanked by an unseen enemy," Graham explains somberly. "Took a bullet to the chest and arm."

"Did you recover his body?"

"No, Agent Larkin wasn't able to recover it."

"If I build this thing; if I build you your Intersect," his voice trembles with emotion, "you need to take Roark down. I want him dead for what he's done," Stephen states despicably.

"Consider it a promise," Graham responds verily.

**November 29, 2004**

Bryce and Sarah convene in Graham's office; their mood considerably gloomy. Sarah tried to sleep on the plane back, but she couldn't stop thinking about Chuck and how she'll never have those comforting pep talks before missions or his friendly attitude or his sense of humor to take the edge off. Chuck meant everything to her and without him; it has become completely apparent that she isn't the same person. He brought out the best in her. She is nothing but a shell of herself: Agent Sarah Walker. Her appearance is lacking too. She is as gorgeous as ever, but she has rings growing under her eyes from sleep deprivation, her skin is a paler white, and she didn't have the will to put makeup on. Chuck would've still said she was beautiful because he truly believed it. Sarah smiles sadly as she thinks about how sweet and amazing Chuck was. He always knew how to make her smile, make her happy, and make her comfortable.

"Agent Walker, Larkin," Graham nods to the two melancholy agents. They both sit down in the chairs. "With the loss of the Intersect—"

"You mean Chuck," Sarah interrupts viciously at Graham's insensitivity for the greatest man Sarah has ever known. "He was a person. Not some computer program!"

Graham would normally retaliate to an agent talking back to him, but he knows how high emotions are after losing your partner so he lets it slide. "We need to plan for how to eliminate Fulcrum once and for all. Orion has offered to create a new Intersect for us, but it won't be ready for months." Graham regards his two agents' dejected appearances and sighs. "I want you both to get some sleep. If you need time off or the CIA offers grief counseling if you—"

"I'm fine," Sarah states harshly.

"I'm ready for duty," Bryce states after briefly glancing at Sarah's iciness.

"Then you are both dismissed," Graham directs calmly. "I want you in my office in three days. 8am sharp."

As Sarah and Bryce start to head for their separate cars in the garage, Bryce halts her, "Sarah."

"What?" She turns around to look at him. Even looking at Bryce reminds her of Chuck.

"I'm sorry," he humbly declares as he gently cups her cheek. "We're not going to let him die in vain. I promise," Bryce plants a soft kiss on her lips and she twitches out of his embrace with unbridled anger.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She shouts irately. "You're really hitting on your best friend's girl not even a full day since he's been dead? What the fuck is wrong with you?" She shouts at the top of her lungs and storms off towards her car, leaving Bryce stunned, embarrassed, and ashamed.

**November 30, 2004**

Bryce wakes up from his slumber at a noise in the kitchen. The CIA has given Stephen housing so he no longer lives with them. That means Bryce is alone so he opens his bed dresser and pulls out his Five seveN firearm. He quickly slides shorts and a plain white shirt on before investigating. He quietly opens his door to see a dim light coming from the kitchen. He aims his gun forward as he stealthily stalks to the source of light while on the balls of his feet. As he turns the corner to the kitchen, he sees someone digging into his fridge. "Freeze," Bryce demands.

The figure behind the fridge door calmly stands up tall and closes the fridge door; shrouding itself in darkness.

"Chuck?" Bryce gasps in shock as he is just barely able to make out the facial features.

Chuck glances over at Bryce, "hey buddy, what's up?"

"How? You're dead?" Bryce queries in complete shock and confusion.

Chuck turns to face Bryce. "Why would you think that?" Chuck asks curiously, but with sickening mirth in his tone. Chuck purposefully covers his chest where the bullet wound should be.

Bryce flicks on the light switch and he gets a full view of Chuck's form. He is sickly green, his teeth are slightly yellowed, and his eyes have rings under them. "Obviously I'm dead," Chuck deadpans with a chuckle as he removes his hand from his chest to give Bryce a clear view of the gunshot wound on his chest. "You're dreaming, buddy." Chuck emphasizes his statement by framing the bullet hole in his chest. The wound is devoid of any blood and is slightly decayed with a bluish-green tint.

Bryce hesitantly lowers his gun. "What the hell is going on?" He demands through clenched teeth.

"It's quite simple," Chuck smiles brightly. "I asked one thing of you. Protect Sarah."

"I am," Bryce replies hostilely as he is still in denial of this dream. It is too real for him and he is feeling jitters tremor through his body.

"I asked you to keep her safe," Chuck elaborates with a grin. "I didn't tell you to kiss her. I didn't tell you to hit on her."

Bryce stays silent as he knows his rash decision to kiss Sarah was way overboard.

"I guess it makes sense though," Chuck lets out a loud maniacal laugh; fresh blood trickling out of his chest wound with each shudder of laughter. "Now that I'm gone, she's free for the taking. That's real honorable, buddy," Chuck declares sarcastically. "Way to make me feel loved."

"I'm sorry," Bryce states dismissively. "You're gone now. She needs to move on."

"That doesn't mean you should try to fuck her," Chuck replies unnervingly joyfully as he smiles brightly and shakes his index finger. "No sir-ey…"

"What the hell do you want?" Bryce shouts as he doesn't know how to react to such a strange situation. "You're dead!"

"I don't know," Chuck shrugs nonchalantly. "Am I?" Chuck asks just before projectile vomiting blood in Bryce's face.

Bryce shoots straight up in bed. He looks left and right to see he is in his room. He gets up and walks into the kitchen. It is dark and empty and he rubs the back of his head with a contemplative sigh. The question, 'Am I?' stuck on his mind.

**November 30, 2004**

Sarah rolls to the other side of her bed for what feels like the seven hundredth time in the night. She glances at the clock to see it display '3:14.' She sighs as she hasn't been able to fall asleep. She tried lying still with her eyes closed, which started at nine at night. She gave up at eleven and decided to try crying herself to sleep. The tears came easier than any time she has ever cried before. The crying lasted until midnight when her tear ducts completely dried up. She tried lying on her stomach, both sides, and her back; yet nothing works. She pondered using a tranquilizer dart, but it just reminded her of Chuck because he always used tranqs. She hopes that her body will just shut down from utter sleep deprivation as it has been over twenty four hours since she last slept.

She glances over at her empty nightstand and wishes she had a picture of Chuck; just one. She has no pictures of him so she has no way to immortalize him except for in her mind. When the clock ticks just past four in the morning, her body finally appeases her prayers and powers down. Her eyes fall shut and she is instantly thrust into a dream state.

_She walks around aimlessly as she walks through a tunnel towards the blackness ahead of her. The blackness looks to be very far away and with each step she takes, the white beside her follows her. She continues to tread deeper into the tunnel when she sees a form ahead of her standing out from the blackness behind it. "Hello?" Sarah shouts unsurely._

_The form unfolds to the schema of a person; a tall, lanky person with slightly curly hair. Sarah continues to get closer until she can make out the person ahead of her. "Chuck?" She whispers conspiratorially as she cannot believe it._

"_Sarah," he whispers back as he turns to her. He is full of life and his chocolate brown eyes brighten with emotion. There are no wounds on his body._

"_Chuck," she states simply as she fights the urge to run into his arms._

"_Help me, Sarah," he begs calmly. "Please, help me."_

"_How?" Sarah questions worriedly. "How do I help you, Chuck?"_

"_Save me, Sarah," he humbly demands with a hint of alarm in his tone._

"_But you're dead," she argues as his figure starts fading into the blackness. "Chuck! Wait! How do I save you?" She demands hurriedly but is now speaking to no one. A single tear escapes her right eye as she lets her body slump dejectedly._

**November 30, 2004**

Sarah is mulling over her loss while walking around her house in sweatpants and a white tank top. Her mind constantly retreats back to thoughts of Chuck, which only depress her further. Her stomach growls and she feels hungry for the first time in thirty hours. She opens her fridge to see it is nearly empty other than the carton of eggs that only has one egg left in it and some sour milk. She opens up the cupboards to see what foods might be in them, but again, she ends up with nothing but a few spices and some old cereal. She finally decides she needs a hobby to get over Chuck, and that hobby will be cooking. She sets her heart on something new for the first time since setting it on Chuck as she grabs her car keys and about to leave her house before realizing she isn't wearing a bra. And she really doesn't need to have her nipples poking through her translucent tank top.

She digs into her bedroom drawers until she finds one as she pinches the edges of her tank top to pull it off, her phone rings. She releases her top and grabs her phone from the dresser. "Walker," she greets in a monotone.

"Agent Walker," Graham greets her. "How're you holding up?"

"Fine," she lies coldly. She doesn't want Graham to think she is weak or compromised, not that it really matters anymore.

"Sarah," Graham takes on a fatherly tone, "we have psychiatrists to help with the pain."

"I'm fine, sir," Sarah assures with the same monotone voice.

Graham sighs as he knows how stubborn Sarah can be. "Mr. Bartowski's funeral will be on Sunday, the fourth in Los Angeles," he informs her respectfully. "Would you like to attend it?"

"Yes," Sarah states simply, but she can feel her emotions rising.

"I'll arrange for a plane ticket and hospitality. I really am sorry, Sarah," Graham becomes uncharacteristically humble. "He was a good agent."

"He was a good friend," Sarah corrects as her iciness cracks slightly with sorrow. "Thank you, sir."

**November 30, 2004**

Everything is blurry, but he can tell he is in a white room with bright fluorescent lights through his squinted eyes. The lights are burningly bright as he tries to turn his head away from the direct path of light. "He's waking up," he hears a female voice state hurriedly.

"Put him back under," a male voice with a fairly thick Middle Eastern accent commands. "He's not ready yet."

He slowly looks down, but feels his eyelids drooping. His last vision is of the waist section of a white lab coat.

**Does anyone know what year Chuck was born in? I always thought it was 1980, but then he would be 23 when he was supposed to graduate from college. Does that mean he took a couple years off after high school? Not that that is wrong, but I wouldn't expect it. Then during the VMA's, Zac said that he was a thirty-something year old playing a twenty-eight year old, which would mean Chuck was born in 1983 and would've graduated college two years early, so that doesn't make sense. I'm having a major dilemma here…**

**Please review.**


	27. Working With The Enemy

**Thanks for the reviews so far. A lot of you have been conspiring different possibilities with where this story is going. I'll let you guys have fun and let your imaginative minds run wild. This is an idea that has been in my head for a while so I hope I don't disappoint.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**December 1, 2004**

His eyelids are heavy, but he slowly opens them to reveal a blurred vision of white fluorescent lights beaming down on him. He tries to open his eyes further but the light is too bright and he feels like his energy has been sapped away. He tries to lift his head, but it feels like his skull is a thousand pounds as his neck muscles strain with pain and he relents, letting his body relax and his eyes close again.

**December 1, 2004**

Sarah sighs tiredly after her multiple failed attempts at making lasagna. She honestly doesn't know what she did wrong and followed the book she has. She found a new hatred for pasta sauce. It is like ketchup in the way it ends up in the most unexpected places, yet more viscous and gloopy. Her tank top, the same one she wore yesterday, could've passed for tie dye after spilling olive oil, pasta sauce, and garlic and basil leaves stuck to it. The reddish orange pasta sauce somehow found its way not only to the back of her sweatpants, the same ones she wore yesterday, but in her hair and under her left armpit. She will never understand how it got to those places, but she doesn't have the energy to hypothesize about it. After finally tossing her multiple attempts away in her trash can, she pads into her bedroom.

She strips off her greasy, stained clothing and hops into the shower; the warm water pouring down her slouched form. As she watches the multiple drops glide over her chest and down her body, her mind finally relaxes, which isn't good in any capacity at the moment. Her mind retracts to thoughts of Chuck and how she never told him how much he meant to her. She never even gave him a clue to how dearly she held him in her life. He was her best friend; the first best friend she has ever had. Before she knows it, the shower drops on her body fuse with the tears sliding down her face. She suddenly realizes she doesn't have a modest black outfit suitable for a funeral. She has never made such a connection with someone that she would think she had to go to their funeral. To be honest, it isn't what she first ponders when she meets someone; especially not Chuck.

She sets her mind on finding a modest outfit for the wedding while thinking up how to talk with Ellie. Sarah knows how close Chuck and Ellie were, and Sarah knows that Ellie deserves all the condolences in the world. Sarah makes it her mission to inform Ellie just how amazing and heroic her brother really is. He saved Sarah on multiple occasions, saved his sister, and was the nicest and most selfless person Sarah has ever met.

She reaches for the nightstand lamp and turns it off. She was so absorbed in her inner monologue that her body autonomously washed her, dried her, and dressed her in her pajamas. That has never happened to her before and could be dangerous if she lets her thoughts retreat back to Chuck again. She sighs sorrowfully as the darkness blankets over her. Sleep comes surprisingly quick for her.

_She finds herself inside a tunnel. Pure whiteness engulfs her from the sides while the end of the tunnel is utter blackness. She remembers this dream from last night and quickly looks around for Chuck. She doesn't see him, but remembers that she had walked for a little while first. She hastily walks towards the blackness until she sees a figure balled up appear before the blackness behind it. "Chuck," Sarah stifles a relieved grin._

"_Sarah," he responds calmly as he stretches to his full height and turns to her._

"_Chuck, how do I save you?" She asks hopefully. "I want to save you, Chuck. I do! But how?"_

"_Find me, Sarah," Chuck responds reverently._

"_How do I find you?" Sarah demands emotionally._

"_Find me, Sarah," Chuck retracts into the blackness and vanishes._

"_No! Don't leave me!" Sarah shouts agitatedly at losing Chuck again. "Where are you, Chuck?" She mumbles despairingly as a single tear sneaks out of her teary eyes._

**December 2, 2004**

Sarah walks into Graham's reception area after being called in. Bryce is sitting in one of the chairs and it looks like he hasn't been sleeping well either. His head is lowered in his palms as if he is trying to catch up on some much needed sleep. Sarah smiles thinly at Jennifer as she doesn't have anything worth smiling about in her life. "Hey, Sarah," Jennifer smiles sickeningly brightly.

"Hi," Sarah responds meekly as she sits down next to Bryce. This is the first time she has seen Bryce since he inappropriately kissed her. She knows she was a little harsh on him as everyone has their own grieving process, so she chooses to forget it happened and hopes Bryce won't bring it up and let it cause awkwardness between them.

Jennifer frowns as Sarah is usually happier and more sincere. Usually, Sarah will ask her how her day is at the very least. One thing Jennifer noticed is the absence of Chuck the last few days. Chuck and Bryce always came in at the same time, and Sarah was part of their team. "Where's Chuck?" She asks curiously as she looks over at the two tired and despondent agents.

Sarah's head bows sorrowfully before she looks up at Jennifer with a saddened expression. "He's no longer with us," Sarah responds forlornly before dropping her head again.

"Oh," Jennifer's face falls at the revelation. Chuck was always such a great guy and the kindest person to her. Plus, he was very easy on the eyes and his back pockets were just fascinating. "I'm sorry for your loss," Jennifer says glumly as she feels like it is her loss too.

Sarah can tell by Jennifer's tone that she is genuinely saddened about the loss of Chuck and not just being sincere. Sarah realizes how many people Chuck has actually touched and influenced in his unfairly short life.

Jennifer's intercom beeps and she looks up at the agents. "Graham will see you guys now."

"Thanks," Sarah tries to smile subtly, but it comes off as a grimace as the two agents walk into Graham's office. Sarah instantly notices that someone is sitting in Chuck's usual seat to her right. The man is tall and burly.

"Agents Larkin and Walker," Graham greets as he gestures to the two open chairs. They take their usual seats with Sarah to the left of the gruff man and Bryce to her left. "This is Major John Casey with the NSA," Graham introduces with another gesture to the hulking man.

The name, John Casey, has some fame behind it from his days as a marine and his old school style methods. He has a reputation as someone who shoots first and asks questions after. Sarah doesn't know how she feels about having a cold school killer replacing Chuck on their team. It's like two polar opposites and she was doing just fine with Chuck; she was loving her time with Chuck.

"I've read your reports on your previous missions," Casey speaks for the first time. "I'm impressed by your efficiency… and I'm sorry for your loss. Agent Carmichael seemed like a true patriot on paper."

"Thank you," Sarah nods at the surprising compassion the large assassin is showing.

"And this is General Diane Beckman of the NSA," Graham turns his computer monitor towards the spies to reveal a diminutive red-haired general in her blue military suit.

"Agents Larkin, Walker," the general speaks up, "I look forward to working with you."

"We are too, ma'am," Bryce replies aptly.

"As Orion helps us rebuild the Intersect," Graham states businesslike, "and Fulcrum is in hiding after our hit, we have—"

"We need to take it to them, now!" Bryce interrupts with gusto. "We have Fulcrum on their heels. We need to get payback!"

"Agent Larkin!" Beckman nearly shouts in offense at his interruption.

"I'll handle this, general," Graham states calmly. "Agent Larkin, we've crippled Fulcrum, but we don't have any intel on their next move. Right now, we are working on seizing Roark's numerous properties."

"What about all the files we recovered from his warehouse?" Bryce questions anxiously.

"That was before we destroyed their network," Graham responds seriously. "After what we did to them, they've changed tactics and locations. They're on the defensive."

"Fine," Bryce grumbles as he crosses his arms and sits back. He's angry because these are the people who took Chuck from them. They deserve to die a horribly slow and painful death.

"We had a marooned spy inside Cuba, but he was able to find transport to the U.S. through a mercenary group working as coyotes. These mercenaries took everything in the possession of the agent, including a device that has incriminating evidence on it. The mercenary camp is just off the coast of Florida," Beckman explains. "Your mission is to infiltrate the encampment and recover the thumb drive."

"What about Chuck's funeral?" Sarah questions as she wouldn't miss it for the world.

"You'll be back with plenty of time to prepare," Graham assures calmly.

**December 2, 2004**

He slowly opens his eyes to reveal a blurry white ceiling above him shining down with fluorescent lights. He blinks the fuzziness away until he can see the structure of the light and the outlines of the tiles along the ceiling. He suddenly hears a steady beeping noise as his hearing clears up. His throat is very dry; Arizona desert on a summer afternoon dry. He tries to swallow but the lump gets caught in his dry throat and he chokes for a couple seconds until he finally forces it through. He blinks again as his last memory was of being at Ellie's wedding. But that was only a dream… he suddenly realizes that he was in an office building. _I was shot!_

His eyes open wide and he shoots up into a sitting position until he realizes his hands and feet are bound to the cot he is lying on. He struggles against the bounds, but to no avail as they give him no slack. "What the hell is this?" He groans croakily as his throat is still extremely dry. He notices a female nurse sitting beside a table in the corner turn towards him.

"Calm down, Mr. Carmichael," she commands. "You're going to tear your stitches."

"What the hell?" Chuck fights against his unbreakable restraints. "Get me off of this thing! Let me go!"

"Mr. Carmichael," the female nurse demands forcefully as she stands up to get closer to him, "please calm down. There is no need in tiring yourself out."

Chuck finally dissolves to reason and relaxes slightly, but keeps his cold narrow-eyed expression as he eyes the nurse warily. "Where am I?"

"You're in a medical bay," the nurse answers peacefully. "You were shot… twice."

Chuck glances down at his bandaged chest and then his bandaged left arm. "I was dead," Chuck states disgustedly as he looks back at the nurse.

"But we brought you back to life," the nurse smiles victoriously.

"Who's we?" Chuck demands with the same bitter untrusting expression.

"Good question, my young friend," Roark walks into the room with a smug air around him and a Middle Eastern doctor.

"Your precious CIA left you to rot," Roark explains with sarcasm and obvious hatred towards the CIA. "They left you to die. How's that for caring about their citizens?"

"Fulcrum," Chuck spits out as if the word leaves a bad taste in his mouth. Chuck is staring down Theodore Roark himself. Chuck cannot believe he had dreams of working with this pompous pig.

"That is correct," Roark nods gleefully as he runs a hand down the nurse's hair and winks salaciously at her. "But we aren't as bad as the CIA makes us out to be. We're true patriots."

"And how is that?" Chuck persists as he ponders his situation. He doesn't know why they brought him back to life. There needs to be an ulterior motive. _Torture? Maybe?_ Chuck ponders in his mind. _Maybe they are trying to turn me?_

"We do what is necessary to protect this nation," he explains as if she truly believes the crap spewing from his mouth. "We don't have boundaries that the Constitution forces on the CIA and all other government agencies."

"What do you want from me?" Chuck gets to the point as he doesn't want to hear Roark spew his bullshit any longer.

"That's a good question, Mr. Carmichael," Roark muses as the Middle Eastern doctor hands Chuck a glass of water. "This is Dr. Zarabi. He's the one responsible for patching you up."

"Excuse my manners if I don't show my gratitude," Chuck responds dismissively as he eyes the water warily before sipping it slowly; the cool liquid quenching his dry throat like an oasis of heaven.

"I understand your hesitation," Zarabi grins at Chuck through his mustache and beard. "I was simply tasked with keeping you alive."

"I really hope you don't still have feelings for your previous employers," Roark states with a sarcastically pitied tone.

_They're trying to turn me_, Chuck realizes as he remains calm on the exterior. _If I don't accept, they'll just torture me. But if I accept too easily, they'll suspect me._ "So, what do you want from me?" Chuck demands again.

"It's quite simple," Roark smirks evilly. "Your friend, Mr. Bryce Larkin has something I need. He has the Intersect and that is rightfully mine."

"And how do I come into play?"

"Well, we're hoping you would be nice enough to tell us where we can find Mr. Larkin."

"I don't know where," Chuck responds automatically and closed off.

"You were his partner," Roark deadpans as anger slowly bubbles inside him. "You must know at least something."

"I don't know anything," Chuck replies bitterly.

"Mr. Carmichael," the doctor regards him with reflect, "it's probably not the best idea to lie to your captors."

"I'm not lying," Chuck responds instantly. "We were nothing but partners."

"I find that hard to believe," Roark grins at Chuck's persistency. "You trained with him in the Farm before he was uploaded with the Intersect."

"It was nothing but students in the same class. We were teamed up by the drop of a hat."

Roark chuckles as he enjoys Chuck's resilience. "You know, we could just torture the information out of you… but we have a better idea."

Three soldiers holding pistols walk into the room and surround Chuck. Chuck regards them with careful narrow eyes.

"Nurse," the doctor speaks up, "remove his cuffs."

The nurse nods and removes the restraints from his feet first and then his hands. The three soldiers are aiming at him with their pistols the entire time.

"Sorry about the unwelcoming party, but we don't exactly trust you," Roark states as Chuck slowly gets himself into a standing position. He wavers slightly from being immobile for so long but keeps his balance; his hospital gown revealing an uncomfortable amount of thigh. "Nurse, get him some clothes."

The nurse slips behind the soldiers and then comes back a second later with neatly stacked clothes. She hands them to Chuck and then backs off. "You may change into those clothes right now," the doctor explains.

"I'm sorry that we lack the privacy you expect, but we already went over this," Roark shrugs casually.

Chuck ignores the three brooding soldiers and quickly slides into the clothes, which fit nicely. He is wearing a plain black short-sleeved shirt, khaki cargo pants, and some socks.

"I don't think I've ever seen such odd attire for a spy before," the doctor hands Chuck his Converse All-Star Chuck Taylor shoes.

"It's kind of my thing," Chuck smirks at the doctor as he slips into his shoes; his feet filling up the narrow shoes.

"Now, if you'll come with me," Roark leads Chuck out of the room; the three soldiers following immediately behind Chuck; their guns trained on him continuously. They walk through a modern building with very few doors in the hallway. "You see," Roark explains the rich history of Fulcrum, "we want what's best for this country. The problem is, what's best doesn't look like the obvious solution. People will surely die, but they will be dying in honor of their country. The only problem is the government doesn't believe in this idea. They are too passive when it comes to terrorists. They're afraid to make a move without being attacked first. It took the hijacking of multiple planes and destroying one of the most famous landmarks in American history for the government to finally retaliate. If we had control of the government, we'd have stopped the terrorists before they could harm our sacred nation. We would've sent in a militia to defeat all armies that opposed us. We are the greatest country in the world and everyone needs to know it."

Chuck listens to the bigoted beliefs of Roark while trying to remember the building layout and looking for possible exits for future reference. They turn the corner and walk down some stairs into what looks like a type of futuristic dungeon with steel doors with tiny eye slit windows into the cells.

"Now I believe torture would work on you," Roark states calmly and almost in a friendly manner, "but I think you're a reasonable guy." He opens up the third cell door on the left side to reveal a fairly dark concrete room with no windows or any furnishings whatsoever. Chuck peers in to see a form lying against the cold concrete. He can see the pale white of the figure's skin when Roark turns on the light above the cell. "I love the smell of fear on a Thursday morning," Roark muses evilly. Chuck's eyes widen at seeing the unmistakable brunette hair and cute little button nose of his friend and fellow agent, Jesse Willows.

"Jesse!" Chuck gasps in shock and disgust as she is lying completely nude on the ground; slightly thinner than the last time he saw her. Her skin is ghostly white with dirt, blood, and grime lathered on her. Her arms are riddled with cuts and bruises that are obvious signs of torture. Her back is fully covered with dried blood and multiple whip marks. Her eyes are both swollen and her left cheek is yellowed from older bruising. He sprints up to her and falls to his knees as he caresses her head in his lap. "Jesse," he whispers worriedly as he gently strokes her frail left cheek with a trembling hand.

She struggles to open her eyes as they are nearly enflamed shut, but Chuck sees the unmistakable emerald green of her glamorous eyes. "Chuck?" she creaks with no life or emotion behind it.

"You're alright now," Chuck coddles her into his arms as he holds her tight; making sure not to touch her battered back. Tears start to form in his eyes at seeing how badly beaten she is.

"Chuck," she whispers croakily, "what are you doing here?"

"They… they captured me," he sighs dejectedly as he holds her face close to his as he secures her in his arms.

"I'm so sorry, Chuck," Jesse cries as she rests her right cheek on his left shoulder. "Please forgive me. I tried. I tried," she sobs into his right shoulder. "They just kept hitting me… They wouldn't stop. Even after I told them what I knew."

"It's okay," Chuck humbly whispers in a soothing tone as he strokes her grimy matted hair on the back of her head.

"My men would take great pleasure in someone of her… caliber," Roark muses delightfully maniacal. "Decision time, Mr. Carmichael."

Chuck's eyes blacken with pure hatred and anger for the white-haired Fulcrum puppet master. As his vision darkens, he sees the pure green shimmering from Jesse's tired, overworked eyes. He instantly fades back into reality and pets her cheek once more. "They're not going to hurt you anymore," he pledges humbly. "No one's going to hurt you anymore." Chuck turns his head to the amused Roark. With seriousness and conviction, Chuck states, "I will do whatever you want, but you have to let her go."

"No," Jesse whimpers as she tries to look up into Chuck's eyes.

"I'm not a total monster," Roark agrees with a victorious smirk.

"I'm sorry, Jesse," Chuck declares softly. "But I can't let them hurt you anymore. I won't let them hurt you." He turns to look back at Roark with anger and resentment filling his eyes with tears. "Will you get some damn clothes for her?"

Roark commands one of the soldiers who promptly disappears.

"It's okay," Chuck humbly assures her. "Everything's going to be fine." He gently lifts her into his arms and she clings onto him for dear life; his right hand feeling the grooves formed by the multiple whip lacerations along her back. Chuck walks up to Roark with a drained, nude Jesse, "do you have a shower or bath she can at least clean up in?" His voice is still dripping with disgust and hatred for Fulcrum.

"Of course," Roark nods like it is obvious. "She's my guest after all. I would be remiss not to offer such amenities."

"Sure," Chuck replies bitterly and sarcastically as Roark sends the two soldiers to lead Chuck to a room with a bath in it.

"I'll give you some privacy," Roark states as if he is being sincere just before closing the door.

Chuck juggles Jesse in his arms as he turns on the faucet. He waits with her in his arms until the large bath tub fills three quarters of the way. He quickly turns off the water and then gently eases her into the water. She sucks in a quick breath as the hot water touches her skin. Chuck finally lowers her all the way to the bottom and lets her sit on the floor of the tub. He glances around the room to see there is also a medical kit there, which will help with the wounds. Jesse tries to lie back in the tub, but as her back touches the wall, it flares with pain and she shoots back up. Chuck notices it and he clenches his teeth tightly. "Those bastards," he mumbles angrily. "Those fucking monsters," he starts to choke up with anger and tears as he gets a close look at her back and the bathtub water turning a muddy crimson from all the blood; fresh and dry, and the dirt.

"It's okay," Jesse whispers as she sees Chuck trembling with hatred and disgust.

"How could they do such a thing? "Chuck exasperatedly demands. "What kind of monster would do that?"

"Chuck," Jesse reaches for his left hand and envelopes it tightly, "I'll manage."

Chuck lets out a wet, emotional breath as he grabs the sponge and soap. He lathers the sponge up and slowly runs it over her body. "I'm so sorry for this," Chuck whispers miserably. "I'm sorry," he whispers over and over as he cleans the blood, grime, and dirt off her frail body.

After cleaning her completely; his hand shaking the entire time, he lifts her out of the water and sits her on the counter next to the medical kit. He uses one of the various towels neatly folded in the counter to dry her off. As he vigorously massages the towel over her head, Jesse cannot help but smile at Chuck's generosity. He is absolutely adorable in the way he gives her private areas the gentlest touch as if he is afraid he will break her.

After drying her off, he finds a suture kit inside a medical bag inside one of the counters. He opens the bag and finds the suture kit. He removes it and turns her on the counter so he can get a better angle of her back. Seeing it again causes rage to fill inside him, but he needs to have a steady hand if he is going to sew up the deepest lacerations. "This might sting a little," he gently informs her as he sticks the needle through her skin. She lets out a wincing breath through her nose, but holds strong.

As Chuck stitches up the slashes, she lets out tiny breaths of pain. He finishes and finds gauze in the medical kit. He places it over the stitches and then tapes it down. "How does it look?" She asks almost playfully with a wry grin. She has never been treated so royally and if she wasn't in so much pain, the bath would've been very romantic had someone done that for her.

"Better," he replies coldly because of the thoughts of how much pain they caused her still brewing in his mind. "I'll be right back," he assures with a fleeting hand of comfort on her upper arm. She nods as he walks over to the door. He peeks his head out to see the doctor standing there with the three soldiers. "Clothes," Chuck demands simply as he holds his hand out. One of the soldiers drops a stack of neatly folded cotton clothes into Chuck's waiting arm and Chuck quickly retreats. He walks back over to Jesse and grins subtly at her. "Can you lift your arms?"

She smiles back as she lifts her thin arms to the sky. Chuck slips the shirt over her arms and slides it down over her torso. She smiles again as she is actually enjoying herself for the first time in a long while. Chuck is such a kind, sweet guy and the way he is taking complete care of her excites her and makes her feel cherished.

"Can you stand?" Chuck asks sincerely as he slides the pants halfway up her legs.

"I… I think so," she responds as he guides her off the counter with a hand on each hip. He gently sets her feet on the ground and she stands shakily. Chuck bends down pulling the pants up and she uses his shoulder to balance herself. He quickly lifts her back onto the counter and slides the last article of clothing onto her feet as if she is Cinderella and he is giving her the glass slipper. "Thank you, Chuck," Jesse tearfully smiles at him.

"It's no problem," he replies sweetly as he helps her back off the counter. She hugs onto his waist to hold herself up. They walk out of the room together and the doctor grins at the sight before him. "Do you have a bed she can rest in?" Chuck asks harshly. He can never forgive Roark for what he's done to her.

"Yes," Roark nods as he directs the soldiers to take Chuck and Jesse to the sleeping quarters.

"I'll help you once she has recovered enough to leave," Chuck states sincerely as he follows the soldiers through another hallway and into a small private quarters with a few beds.

"You can rest in here," one of the soldiers states as he gestures to the bed in the corner. "Roark will be back tomorrow to make sure you keep your word." He leaves the private quarters and shuts the door behind him. He turns to the two other soldiers. "Roark wants us to keep two pairs of eyes on him at all times. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," they all nod as they wait at the door of the private quarters.

Chuck helps Jesse into the bed and then slips in next to her. He holds her close to his body and playfully whispers, "Just like old times."

She giggles lightly and gives him a soft kiss on the lips. "Thank you, Chuck. This means so much to me," she confesses tearfully.

"You're my friend," Chuck replies humbly. "I'll always be there for you. But there's one thing you need to do for me."

"What's that?" She asks as she looks into his brown eyes. She would do anything for him.

"Find Bryce," Chuck whispers quietly. "Find him and tell him I'm not dead."

"He thinks you're dead?" Jesse flinches back in surprise.

"Yea," Chuck sighs despondently. "Sarah does too."

"Oh," Jesse falls silent as she knows Sarah had at least some feelings for Chuck, and Chuck definitely had strong feelings for her. "What happened?"

"We were… they took my sister. Roark, the head of Fulcrum, took her," Chuck explains tearfully. He still doesn't know if she made it out alive yet, but he has complete faith in Sarah. "We went in there and rescued her. Bryce and I went to try to get Roark, but I was shot… twice. One in the chest, the other in the arm. I was technically dead for I don't even know how long."

"I'm sorry," Jesse shows her genuine condolences as she massages his cheek. "What happened with you and Sarah?"

"Nothing," Chuck sighs overly dejected. "I didn't get a chance to be with her."

"Does she know you love her?"

"I… yes," Chuck nods. "I told her… with my last words before dying."

"Did she say she loves you?"

"I don't know," Chuck responds honestly. "I died too quickly to know if she said it back or not. I hope she loves me too… unless…" His eyes start to glaze over with unshed tears; the thought of Sarah rejecting him drawing a very frightening scenario in his mind.

"No," Jesse demands with confidence. "Don't think like that. She cares about you. I saw it when we worked together. She loves you just as much as you love her, Chuck. Promise me that when you get out of here, you will tell her you love her. Promise me."

"I will," Chuck smiles at Jesse's confidence. "Now let's get some rest so you can go home and let her know I'm not dead."

"I will," she smiles at him. "Goodnight, Chuck." She cuddles into him.

"Goodnight, Jesse," he whispers back with a secure hand holding her head to him.

**I regret to inform you that I may not be able to update quite as quick as I have been. I am not going to make any promises, but please don't be shocked if I don't update at the usual time.**

**Please review.**


	28. The Funeral of Charles I Bartowski

**Thanks for all the reviews so far. I'm doing my best on continuing this story with my timely updates. I somehow chocked this chapter up and hope you like it. I personally didn't like it too much, but hopefully you'll have a different reaction to it.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**December 3, 2004**

Casey inspects the mercenary camp through his suppressed Remington M40A3 sniper rifle atop the forest hillside looking over the compound. He sees the fence surrounding the complex and the two guard towers in the front. "Reminds me of my days in Costa Gravas," he murmurs reverently.

"How does it look?" Sarah asks from directly to his left. The three spies are dressed in woodland camouflage outfits. Casey painted his face with black and green paint to finish his ensemble. His answer to Bryce and Sarah ignoring the painting of their faces is that they are a couple of CIA pansies.

"Two guard towers with two sentries in each," Casey explains. "It looks like a small militia. They have three trucks, a large tent structure."

"And this device is in here?" Bryce questions with a furrowed brow. "Doesn't this encampment seem a bit primitive to be holding such technology?"

"It's a front," Casey replies casually. "It looks like a normal mercenary camp, but inside they are doing something else. I'd put my money on drug smuggling."

"Drug smugglers?" Sarah crooks her head in contemplation. "Why do they work as coyotes too?"

"Money," Casey responds. "They lend their skills in multiple ways to bring in more income. I've dealt with people like these. They don't care where the money comes from, as long as they get it."

"Okay, so how're we getting in there silently?" Bryce asks.

"I was kind of hoping to blow them all away," Casey smirks as he caresses his sniper rifle as if it is his pet.

"And have their whole militia on us?" Sarah questions sarcastically. "We need to use stealth. If you can find me a way in, I think I can slip by them all."

"Aren't we confident," Casey muses with a smirk.

_I just have no one to convince otherwise,_ Sarah ponders in her mind. "Just find a way in for me without alerting the guards," Sarah states dismissively.

Casey peers through his sniper scope for any possible vulnerabilities in the fence while Bryce studies Sarah with a furrowed brow. 'What' Sarah mouths to his intent gaze. 'Nothing' he shakes his head as he calmly waits; his mind questioning Sarah's iciness and disregard for her life since the loss of Chuck. "It doesn't look like there are any glaring weaknesses," Casey finally speaks up. "But it looks like the fence isn't electrocuted so you could cut a hole in the back corner. Slip in, grab the device, and slip out. I'll cover you."

"Works for me," Sarah casually lifts the chain cutter and stands up as she gets ready.

"Sarah, you need any help?" Bryce asks as he feels a bit left out on the mission.

"No, I'll be fine," she responds coldly as she sneaks closer to the compound while using her camouflage to her advantage. She easily sneaks around to the back of the complex where the towers cannot see her. She quietly slices a two foot hole at the bottom of the fence. She drops to her stomach and slithers under the fence. After fitting through, she finds a large crate to hide behind. "I'm in," she whispers into her microphone.

"Roger that," Casey responds. "Everything looks calm on my side."

"I'm going in," Sarah informs her teammates as she peeks out around the crate to make sure the coast is clear. She doesn't see anyone so she quickly sprints to another large crate to hide behind. After checking her corners, she sprints into a slide as she glides to the back of the large tent structure. She silently punctures a tiny hole in it to scrutinize the inside. It is a small room within the tent with a few private cots and dressers. She slices a large enough gash in the tent wall so she can slip inside. She quickly presses her back against the wall next to the doorway that has a cloth as a type of door. Sarah drops to her stomach and peers under the blanket into a wide open area with a large long table that looks like a possible dining table and some barrels she can use as cover. A couple of soldiers walk right by the doorway and she pulls her head back swiftly.

_Too close,_ she tells herself as she again peeks her head out to see the two soldiers walking with their back towards her. She quickly slips into the large room and hides behind a barrel. She peers over it to find out where the device is most likely located. She sees two rooms on the far end. She can see a few firearms inside the room on the left, so she hypothesizes that the device is in the room on the right. She swiftly dives behind another barrel while staying behind the two soldiers so they don't see her. She silently walks in perfect step with the soldiers until she gets to the room at the far end. She slips through the cloth door to find she is in a small room with multiple trinkets and novelty items that look like they were taken from Cubans. Sarah knows this is the right place but electronic devices aren't exactly common on refugees. She sees a desk and starts opening the drawers to see if she can find the thumb drive. She feels a hand on her right shoulder and a deep manly voice say, "Hey! What—"

Sarah swiftly grabs the hand with both her hands; she twists it while rotating her body towards her attacker, and jerks is wrist in a painful twist. The man is about to scream in pain when Sarah kicks his kneecap, hyperextending his knee to tear all three cruciate ligaments; leaving his left leg useless. The enemy drops to the one knee and Sarah quickly spins around behind the enemy. She covers his mouth with her left hand and chokes him with her right. She wrenches around his neck until he stops writhing and falls limp in unconsciousness. She drags the body into the corner and continues her search for the device. On the third desk, she gently rummages her hand in it to see the device sticking out among the various rings and jewelry that was taken from the Cuban immigrants.

She pockets the device and turns around when she hears multiple heavy footsteps that sounds like a tiny stampede. Sarah quickly drops to her stomach as she gazes under the cloth to see the dining table fill up with hungry soldiers. _That way is blocked,_ she tells herself as she looks for an approximate spot for the safest location to cut herself out of the small room inside the large tent. Hopefully, she won't be in plain sight of the guard towers.

"Walker, they're all moving inside," Casey informs her hastily. "Get out now!"

"I'm working on it," she whispers back as she stabs a tiny hole in the tent. She peeks through it to see she is on the opposite side of where she entered. The guard tower has a very limited view of her location and there is a crate she can hide behind. She quickly and silently cuts an opening in the bottom of the tent and slithers out. She quickly crouches behind the crate so the crate is between her and the guard tower. She peeks a single eye around the edge to see the three trucks just in front of her and the two lookouts in the tower. They are both leisurely walking around the small tower. She waits until both of them don't have a view on her and she sprints as fast as she can until she slides into the back of the farthest truck. As her shoulder bumps into the back of the truck, she drops to the ground. She quickly climbs under it and looks all around as she contemplates her next move.

Casey catches the flash of Sarah's swift movement and sees her crawl under the farthest truck. "Walker, where're you going?" He questions as he sees two soldiers step out of the large tent. "Walker, you have two enemies heading for your location." Casey watches as they start entering the first truck; closest to Casey and two over from Sarah. "They're taking the truck farthest from you," he informs Sarah.

She quickly rolls in her prone position across the gap between the two trucks and under the second truck as she hears the two soldiers talking. "Man, they're lucky they get to eat right now," one of the soldiers states. "We have to send this stupid shipment out."

"They better leave us some food or I'm gonna be pissed," the other soldier states. Sarah quickly rolls again until she arrives under the first truck as the doors on it slam shut. The truck hums to life and Sarah quickly looks for something to grab onto and hoist herself up. She finds a long wide pipe and quickly wraps her arms around it to the best of her abilities. She kicks her feet around it so she is raised from the ground. The truck lurches forward and her muscles start to strain from holding her up with so little grip.

The truck makes its way out of the compound through large front rolling fence gates. Casey watches the truck until it is safely out of view from the compound and its guard towers. "Walker, you're clear," Casey updates her. "Did you get the device?"

Sarah releases herself from the truck and hits the ground with a thud and her camouflage outfit grinds against the ground as she quickly slides to a stop. As she comes to a complete stop, she quickly rolls off the dirt road and up into a standing position. "I got the device," Sarah responds. "I'll be there in a minute."

**December 3, 2004**

Chuck and Jesse are sitting at a table eating their lunch inside the Fulcrum base. He has yet to go outside and has no idea where he is. He could be in Alaska for all he knows, but it is air-conditioned and filtered inside. Jesse is nearly hugged onto him as they eat. They have been connected at the hip the entire time as she doesn't trust anyone but Chuck, and he doesn't trust anyone but her. She is also still recovering from her wounds, but is in well enough shape to manage on her own. "Mr. Carmichael," Doctor Zarabi enters the mess hall with someone following behind. Chuck lifts his head to look at the doctor. "This here is Leader," the doctor introduces a largish bald man with a large burly mustache. "He will be your handler." Chuck feels the effects of a flash as he drops his head to disguise it.

_A warm apple pie._

_His Dossier with everything redacted, including his name. The only thing not redacted is that he is Fulcrum. _

_The man standing over three unconscious bodies inside a shady saloon; his fists bloodied and his lip bleeding._

_A warm apple pie._

The burly bald man sits down across from Chuck and Jesse. "We don't show compassion," Leader explains grimly. "We do what is necessary to ensure the safety of this country. If you disobey my orders, I won't hesitate to kill you," he smirks evilly, "CIA agents are my favorite victims."

"How do I know you will keep to your word about letting her go?" Chuck asks with narrow eyes as he nods his head towards Jesse. She squeezes his hand under the table tightly. She is grateful for Chuck's selflessness, but she doesn't want to leave him all alone in the enemy's stronghold.

"Honestly, I'd rather just kill her but we're not completely inhumane," Leader explains. "We're here to protect the citizens of the U.S. Not kill them."

"And that you won't tail her?" Chuck demands as he is starting to really dislike the sarcasm of the man before him.

"You have my word," Leader nods seriously. "That's all you need."

"Where are we?" Chuck asks curiously as he knows this man isn't going to budge any further. "Globally, obviously."

"You'll find that out soon enough," Leader responds. "We have transportation for her ready."

Chuck looks down into Jesse's emerald eyes before looking back at Leader. "We're ready."

"Then follow me," Leader stands up. Chuck and Jesse follow suit as he leads them through a hallway. Chuck and Jesse both memorize the path as they turn left, pass a door on each side, turn right, and finally walk down the hallway until the end. They step into an elevator and by the feeling of it, it is ascending, so Chuck records the fact that they are in an underground base. They enter a room that is a large garage with an army truck that can hold multiple passengers in the back. "For security purposes, we're going to have to blindfold and cuff you," Leader informs them with no amount of pity in his tone.

Jesse tenses slightly as she was blindfolded for most of her torture and it brings back horrid memories of pain. "It'll be alright," Chuck whispers to her. "I promise." He looks back up to Leader, "That's fine."

Leader pulls out two zip ties as Chuck and Jesse hold their wrists out and together. Jesse looks into Chuck's eyes for confirmation and confidence. His eyes instill calmness and reliability as her wrists squeeze together from the plastic restraint. "In the truck," Leader directs them into the back of the truck and blindfolds them.

As their vision is stolen away, Chuck feels Jesse press her side against him. Chuck lifts his arms over her head and around her waist. He holds her securely to him to keep her calm; her hands interlacing with his. "Everything's gonna be fine, Jesse," he assures in a humble whisper. "You're going to be safe now."

The truck lurches forward and Chuck can feel the bright sun sizzle against his skin. He knows he is somewhere at least somewhat warm. It is not very humid, but not desert dry. There is a very slight breeze to keep the weather around sixty degrees Fahrenheit. The truck drives for upwards of an hour when Leader pulls off the blindfolds. Chuck notices there are two other agents with guns lying on their laps lazily aimed at him and Jesse. "We'll be switching vehicles in a few minutes," Leader informs them.

Chuck quickly glances around to see tall buildings that are unmistakably Los Angeles. He analyzes all the data he gathered to figure out the Fulcrum base has to be under an hour or two away from Los Angeles. But then they could've driven around in circles to counter the idea of Chuck and Jesse calculating a possible location for the base. Chuck pockets the information for later as the truck stops next to a black Suburban in a small turnout along the road. "Out," Leader demands. Chuck and Jesse both climb out and wait patiently as Leader climbs out behind them. "Get in the car," he points to the Suburban that has two agents standing by it.

One of the agents lifts the trunk door and Chuck looks at it with a raised eyebrow. "Really? The trunk?" He questions almost comically.

"Just get in," Leader demands forcefully. Chuck climbs in and pulls his long legs to his chest.

"This is so not comfortable," he muses as Jesse climbs in next to him; her knees to her chest too.

"Shut up," Leader slams the trunk door on them; narrowly missing Chuck's toes. After hearing the doors shut, the Suburban reverses and pulls onto the road. Chuck and Jesse watch the barren landscape disappear and slowly fade into cityscape.

"Chuck," Jesse speaks up as she looks over at him, "you don't have to do this for me."

"Yes, I do," Chuck responds seriously. "I can't let them hurt you anymore. I won't let them hurt you anymore," he states boldly as he fights the emotions building inside him after seeing the blemishes they left on her body.

"But you can't work for them," Jesse argues as she doesn't want Chuck to be forced to switch sides. She could never see Chuck as an enemy.

"I'm not," Chuck states simply. "I'm going to find a way out," he whispers into her ear. "I'm going to try to stop Fulcrum from the inside out."

"What?" Jesse looks into his confident brown eyes.

"I need you to do something for me," he states seriously as if he is instilling all his trust in her. "You need to get back to D.C. Tell Bryce that I'm not dead. Tell Sarah I am still alive…" he gets choked up, "that I love her. Tell them I'm not working for Fulcrum. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes," she nods her head. "But you have to promise me that you'll be careful. You have to promise me you won't die. Promise me."

"I promise," Chuck replies with a very subtle grin.

"Thank you, Chuck," she rests her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for everything."

"No problem," Chuck responds sincerely as they ride the next twenty minutes in silence.

The Suburban comes to a stop and Chuck can instantly feel the car park and power down. Chuck alertly looks around to see that they are definitely in Los Angeles. It is helpful that he is familiar with the layout of the city from living there for almost all of his life.

"Jesse," he whispers hastily, "the Fulcrum base that we were in has to be within a two hour drive from L.A. Make sure you get that info to Bryce and Sarah." She nods in understanding. "Also, the base was underground."

"Okay," she nods again with confidence just before the trunk door opens to reveal Leader standing with an unnamed agent holding a gun on them.

"Get out," he orders the two captives. Chuck and Jesse both climb out; Chuck is relieved to be able to stretch his legs out again. Leader takes a small switchblade and slices Jesse's zip tie off. The plastic falls to the ground and Leader points to the left. "You're free to go," he growls disagreeably. "Century Blvd is just a block that way and the airport is a mile south."

Jesse gives Chuck a fleeting glance, almost afraid to leave him with these horrible people alone. But his confident grin and nod assures her he is going to be fine. She doesn't know how things are going to turn out for him, but she knows he will be okay… and that's all that matters.

"Back in the trunk," Leader points to the Suburban.

"Really?" Chuck questions complainingly. "It's not like I can do much with my arms tied together. All I ask is to sit in a normal seat for the drive back."

Leader narrows his eyes skeptically before reluctantly relenting. "Fine, get in the back." He turns to the unnamed agent. "You're driving. I gotta watch this scum to make sure he doesn't try to do something foolish."

**December 3, 2004**

"Great job with recovering the data drive," Graham congratulates his agents from his office.

"Yes, the NSA greatly appreciates it," Beckman reiterates from the small monitor on Graham's desk.

"No problem," Sarah states with a nod.

"Is there any updates on Fulcrum?" Bryce asks.

"Not at the moment," Graham responds. "We have no mission for you at the moment. Walker, Larkin, your flight to Los Angeles is set for two hours from now."

"Thank you, sir," Sarah nods glumly.

"Major Casey," Beckman speaks up, "take a few days off until they are back from the funeral."

"Yes, ma'am," Casey nods affirmatively. As the three agents are walking towards their respective vehicles, Casey stops Sarah. "Walker," he grabs her attention.

"Yea?" Sarah turns to look at him.

"Good job on the mission, Walker," Casey states simply. He isn't someone who compliments often but he gives credit when credit is due.

"Thank you," she nods curtly.

"It may not be so bad working with some CIA pansies," he smirks.

"Just so you know, I'm not interested," Sarah states coldly. "We're partners and that's it."

"That makes two of us, sister," Casey responds without any hesitation and a slight smirk.

"Good," Sarah walks away.

**December 4, 2004**

The sun is shining bright on this gloomy morning. It's ironic how beautiful the day seems when the funeral leaves a cloud of depression over them. Sarah is wearing a modest charcoal skirt and matching suit, along with black pantyhose. Her hair is done nicely with a single large braid to hold it back in a bun. She quickly finds her seat next to Ellie. Ellie is already in tears as Devon holds and comforts her from the seat next to her. Bryce sits down next to Sarah. Sarah watches the gloomy crowd from Chuck's most loyal friend, Morgan, to an eccentric cast of a petite Asian woman, a very skinny Indian mannish woman, a large unruly man with balding blonde hair, and a very robust African-American man. She notices Stephen sitting in the back with a fedora covering his face. Sarah wonders who these people are and which part of his past they come from. Everyone is at least mourning, if not already in tears. For some odd reason, Sarah isn't in tears. She would like to think she was one of the closer people to Chuck so his death would affect her most and she would be one the more sobbing people. But for some odd reason, she isn't crying and she doesn't know why. _Maybe it has something to do with my recurring dream,_ she hypothesizes.

"We are gathered here," the clergyman recites, "to honor the fallen hero of Charles Irving Bartowski."

A single sob is heard from Ellie Bartowski, who is wearing a black transparent cowl over her brunette hair pulled into a bun. Sarah sincerely massages her hand on Ellie's upper back to comfort the depressed brunette.

"He was always a kind person," the clergyman continues humbly. "He was one of the most selfless people this world has to offer. He will forever be immortalized in our minds and most importantly… in our hearts."

Two dark figures are standing atop a grassy hill about one hundred yards away from the funeral reception. One of them is watching in sorrow and regret while the other is losing patience quickly. "Alright, Carmichael," Leader finally voices his impatience, "We need to go."

"Just one more minute," Chuck pleads emotionally as he can just make out the form of each person in the crowd.

"No," Leader holds his ground. "You're lucky enough that I even let you come out here. We're going and that's an order. You disobey, and I finally get to fulfill that dream I have of killing you."

Chuck sighs at Leader's inhumanity. "I'm sorry, Ellie, Devon, Morgan, Bryce," he murmurs under his breath. "I'm so sorry, Sarah. Please forgive me for this."

"Let's go Carmichael," Leader demands as he starts to head down the hill, away from the funeral. Chuck glances one last time at the funeral before following Leader.

Sarah watches as the dirt is pushed over the empty coffin. The only people who know it is empty are her, Stephen, Bryce, Ellie, and Devon. Sarah looks just above the freshly packed dirt covering the coffin and sees the tombstone. She reads it to herself.

_Here lies the beloved Charles Irving Bartowski._

_Self-professed nerd with the kindest heart._

_His selflessness will live on in the hearts of the people he touched._

_September 24, 1981-November 29, 2004_

"I'm so sorry, Chuck," Sarah whispers to the grave. "Why are you in my dreams? Please tell me how to find you. Chuck, I need you. I need your help." She sighs heavily as a single tear drops onto the fresh dirt. "If you're really dead, then why are you still in my dreams? What are you trying to tell me?" She lets out a long defeated sigh. She turns around and as she is leaving, she sees a brief glimpse of two figures very far away on another hillside with graves along it. The figures quickly vanish behind the hill. As Sarah lowers her head sadly, she is encircled by two soft arms. She looks up to see Ellie smiling forlornly at her.

"You loved my brother," she states more than asks with a small smile.

"I…" Sarah fights with her heart and occupation. "I… yes," she finally sighs as she reciprocates the hug. It is soft, genuine, and comforting; something she can use right now.

"Stay with us tonight, Sarah," Ellie humbly suggests. "You can stay in Chuck's room. We need to be here for each other."

"Okay," Sarah responds; surprising herself with her quick, easy answer.

"Good," Ellie grins subtly at Sarah before releasing the hug. Ellie walks over to the tombstone and freshly packed grave. She is about to say something when a gentle fatherly hand lands on her shoulder. She glances to her right to see a ghost. "Dad?" She flinches back in shock.

"I'm so sorry, El," Stephen confesses miserably. "I know you probably hate me but I'm doing this for Chuck. He wanted us to reunite and I have to honor that."

Ellie isn't going to lie, the first thing on her mind were the pancakes she was promised when he left them so many years ago. But this isn't the place to start their reunion negatively. "When did you talk with Chuck?" Ellie finally asks.

"I'm… He," Stephen struggles with his words because he doesn't know how to really explain everything. "I'm a spy too," he whispers dejectedly. "Well, technically, I'm just a computer technician, but I'm working with your brother's employers."

Ellie's eyes widen in shock. She doesn't know how to react and a small part of her body is telling her to just faint and deal with it later.

"I'm going to give your brother his well-deserved condolences and I'll never bother you again," Stephen kneels over the grave. He is about to say something when he feels two arms wrap around his neck.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Ellie confesses tearfully. "This is all my fault. I got kidnapped and Chuck had to rescue me."

Stephen tenses at Ellie's confession. He quickly lifts back to a standing position and turns to her with determination. "Don't you dare blame yourself," he demands heatedly. "None of this is your fault. You're an amazing doctor who is getting married to an amazing man. You have nothing to be sorry for. This is my fault," he declares angrily. "I used to work with Roark and that bastard used you to get to me." Tears of anger and passion start to fall out of his eyes. "Your brother died because of me," he finally sighs despairingly. "I let the CIA send him in. This is my fault," he drops his head shamefully.

Ellie stands there unsure what to do next after her father's tirade. She could be angry with how he put her in danger or she can console him about his guilt being unfairly thrown onto his shoulders. "Dad," Ellie nearly whispers as she steps closer to him, "I don't want you to blame yourself. No one could know what people like Roark would do. Please, have lunch with us, Dad. We're all having a family lunch; me, Devon, Morgan, Sarah, and Bryce. You are still family," she smiles wryly.

**Please review.**


	29. Discovering a Ghost

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

**I know you hate me for the delay but the holiday season isn't always vacation… fine, it is, but I've been tending to other things in my life. I have an idea on how I want the Chuck/Sarah reunion to happen, so it is just a matter of free time to type it in. So, thanks for the reviews and sticking with this story. I know that approximately 30 chapters before Chuck and Sarah get together is daunting.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**December 4, 2004**

"Let's go," Leader instructs Chuck to follow him as they walk through a Fulcrum front in Los Angeles. Chuck's head is lowered and he is depressed after watching his own funeral and the people he loves forced to believe he is dead. No one should have to see the depression blanketed over the faces of the people they love. It is absolutely disheartening. The building he is walking through seems like a blur as he dully follows Leader through the office building. They take the elevator up to the sixth floor. Chuck follows Leader into an interrogation room with two chairs and a table. "Wait here," Leader commands before leaving the room. Chuck sits down in one of the chairs as he sluggishly lays his elbows on the cold metal table and lets his face drown in his open palms; ignoring the bland interrogation room with no windows except for the typical double sided mirror and the door.

Leader walks back in a few minutes later with a folder in his arms. "You're going to tell us everything you know about the CIA and their missions," Leader sits down across from Chuck with confidence, "starting with Bryce Larkin and the Intersect." He drops the folder onto the table to make an intimidating slap.

Chuck sighs as he looks up dreadfully. He isn't in the mood to betray his country or friend. "Larkin and I were partners," Chuck explains casually. "The only time we ever convened was for a mission."

"You're telling me that you and Larkin had no personal relationship whatsoever?" Leader queries skeptically.

"Yea," Chuck nods with a slight smirk. "He isn't exactly the friendliest person… a bit of a self-inflated douche, if you ask me."

"And the Intersect? How did he come to getting it?" Leader questions analytically.

"It's a long process," Chuck sighs boringly. "The Intersect cannot be uploaded into just anyone. It requires a certain… brain feature."

"Elaborate," Leader demands; now intrigued.

"The whole idea is that the pictures get imprinted into the brain," Chuck explains almost unknowingly. The Intersect isn't an exact science, but Chuck doesn't want to be too specific or he will really help Fulcrum, which is not his intention. "It has something to do with how much of the images someone can retain."

"So, why Larkin? Why not you? Or some other CIA agent?" Leader queries curiously.

"I wasn't smart enough… in a sense," Chuck shrugs as he crooks his head. "Larkin can retain more than me."

"How do you test this… whatever it is… retention amount?"

"Retention rate?" Chuck corrects the bald agent. "I don't know. I took many tests in the CIA," Chuck lies convincingly. "It could've been any one of them."

"How do we get these tests?"

"I have no idea," Chuck shakes his head emphatically.

"When did you and Larkin take this test?" Leader demands.

"Some time during training."

"In the Farm?"

"Yea," Chuck nods his head.

"And who else were you working with?" Leader questions.

"No one," Chuck replies immediately. He would never give Sarah up.

Leader chuckles at Chuck's answer. "Don't tell me the two of you were able to infiltrate Roark Instruments all by yourself."

Chuck smirks haughtily, "We're just that good."

Leader scoffs with a grin, "cocky little fucker. I like that."

"What can I say? I have my moments," Chuck continues airily.

"Onto the next question," Leader instantly becomes all business as he flips to another file in the folder splayed on the table. "And Orion? What do you know of him?"

"He's the sole creator of the Intersect," Chuck explains with reverence for his father. "He's a technological genius."

"And do you know where we can find him?"

"He's working with the CIA," Chuck explains simply and casually.

"What?" Leader's eyes open widely in shock. Before Chuck can elaborate, the only door to the room swings open and Roark barrels in lividly.

"What do you mean Orion is working with the CIA?" Roark demands hostilely as he leans against the table and nearly spits on Chuck. "He ran away from them! He has no reason to work with them again!"

"When you kidnap a man's daughter, he will do some irrational things," Chuck replies smartly with a tiny victorious smirk.

"So Orion is working with the CIA, huh?" Roark leans back as he muses diabolically. "That's what the CIA was doing in my building? You know," Roark smirks evilly, "you were only minutes away from capturing me. Luckily, my bladder isn't what it used to be. Who would've thought that would turn out to be helpful?" Roark laughs loudly. "That's when we saw you… you were on your last leg… everyone told me to leave you; that it was too late, but I didn't listen. You're lucky I'm such a nice guy, unlike my protection squad."

"Nice?" Chuck scoffs with an eye roll. "You bastards tortured and raped my friend, captured my—an innocent civilian, and for what? Your sick sadistic pleasure?" Chuck shouts angrily.

"We did not rape her," Roark defends heatedly. "The espionage world is a cruel, gruesome world. We only did what had to be done. Your so-called government would do the same thing."

"No they wouldn't," Chuck protests calmly.

Roark steps back and smirks as if he has just figured it all out. "You don't get it, do you? Your government doesn't care about you. You're just another piece of hay in the haystack. All they care about is the greater good. Why do you think they left you to die? It's because they don't care about you!"

"And I suppose you do?" Chuck contends, knowing Roark is just trying to get under his skin.

"If you work with us," Roark smirks boastfully, "you can be rich and have all the women you want. Have you ever been with twins? It's quite amazing… especially when they play with each other for your own amusement. So, you want to be rich and have all the pussy you can handle, or are you going to continue to resist your true destiny?"

**December 4, 2004**

"I remember whenever he was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up," Ellie explains with mirth, a glass of wine in her hand, "he always said he wanted to be a big boy."

Ellie and Sarah both laugh loudly while sitting on the couch and enjoying some 'after dinner' wine. Ellie's left leg is curled on the couch cushion so she is slightly turned towards Sarah while Sarah mimics the position with her left leg on the couch. "Really?" Sarah finds herself crying; not from sadness, but from laughter. She has never laughed this hard in her life.

"Yea, Chuck was so ridiculous," Ellie sighs with a smile as she takes another sip of her wine. "He and Morgan were like inseparable. They did everything together. I remember when they had different first period classes in their freshmen year of high school. Chuck was so worried that he would never see Morgan again and they would no longer be friends because of all the clicks…" Ellie chuckles with a grin. "Until second period when they had the same class… social studies."

"Wow," Sarah drawls laughingly.

"Oh, and I remember when he was six and he stuck a double A battery in each nostril," Ellie chortles as she tries to keep herself from breaking into laughter. "He… he thought it would give him brighter ideas!" The two women both crack up into pieces at Chuck's expense.

After calming down from laughing, Sarah finally decides to share a story about Chuck. "I remember the first day of his training," Sarah explains joyously. "He was so nervous and adorable. Every time I touched him, he would freeze up and shiver. I almost found myself laughing every time."

"You trained with Chuck?" Ellie asks in slight surprise.

"Actually, I trained him myself," Sarah smiles brightly. "I trained him and Bryce at the same time."

"Really?" Ellie's eyes widen in utter shock. "But you're so young."

"I started young," Sarah shrugs casually. After a few seconds of silence, Sarah genuinely and honestly states, "Ellie, thank you for this. For letting me stay in Chuck's old room, for keeping me company, just for being a friend." Sarah finds herself crumbling to tears as a lump forms in her throat. She has never been genuinely cared about like Chuck has done, like Ellie is doing. She really doesn't know how to thank the Bartowski clan for being the single greatest people she has ever known.

"It's my pleasure," Ellie gently places a hand on Sarah's shoulder as she stares into Sarah's blue eyes. "You're always welcome here; in this family. Sarah, I know how much you cared about my brother and how much he cared about you. Please, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll always be available. Chuck wouldn't want you to just fade away from everyone," Ellie explains from deep in her heart as she encloses Sarah's right hand in hers. "I deal with many fatalities in the hospital and it is too often I see people try to run away from it. Sarah, we're here for you. Please don't try to run away. Please don't become a stranger." Ellie finally finishes her sermon with glassy eyes and a subtly pleasant smile.

Sarah's eyes are now weighing down with tears at the heartfelt speech. She, yet again, is at a loss for words at how genuinely humble the Bartowski clan is. "I won't," Sarah whispers softly.

Ellie quickly realizes how serious and depressing the conversation has become so she cracks a teasing smile. "I think I've had too much wine," Ellie laughs as she pats Sarah's knee in a friendly manner. Sarah cracks a tiny comical grin, but her mind is still filled with thoughts of how to deal with the loss of Chuck. "Here," Ellie stands up and smiles pleasantly at Sarah, "I'll show you the room and where you can get some blankets.

"Okay," Sarah follows Ellie towards Chuck's old room.

**December 4, 2004**

Sarah sits down and crosses her legs on the center of the bed. She admires every facet of the room from the wall where his computer desk and movie posters are, to the dresser that holds his old tube television and 'Morgan' door, to the closet where all his old clothes are. She notices a white dress shirt hanging on the door and cannot resist as she autonomously walks up to the shirt and lifts it to her nose. She looks down and breathes in his scent; Chuck Bartowski's scent. She can still smell him, even after all the years the shirt must've been hanging there. She glances down at the pocket protector still hooked on the breast pocket and she grins reverently. In his Nerd Herd badge, he has an innocent lopsided smile and his hair is extremely long and shaggy. She lets out a teary-eyed chuckle at the picture.

She misses the innocent Chuck she met at the beginning of training. She still somewhat feels guilty for helping mold him into a CIA agent who must give up their own rights and principles for the greater good. Even after he became a spy, he still didn't lose his genuine innocence. He never let the job take over him like it took over her. She will forever envy Chuck for that ability and for sticking up for his own beliefs.

As she makes her way back to the bed, she sees a picture resting on the nightstand. The photo is of him smiling goofily with his sister just outside on the Stanford campus. Chuck is wearing a giant smile and a plain grey Stanford shirt with 'Stanford' written in cardinal red. Sarah smiles yet again at seeing how adorably innocent Chuck was. She caresses the picture with wonder as she holds it to her chest. She misses him so much. If he was here right now, he would be consoling her with her favorite ice cream and a comforting embrace that just lulls her to happiness.

She cannot help but snoop around Chuck's room just a little bit. She finds herself opening his drawer where all his casual shirts are neatly folded. Coincidentally, the same Stanford shirt he is wearing in the photo is on top. Sarah pulls it out and admires it for a few seconds. She glances at the door conspiratorially before stripping off her top and bra. She quickly slides the shirt over her torso and hugs the shirt to her body as she revels in Chuck's aroma. "Please come home, Chuck," she whispers to herself as she gazes at her forlorn reflection in the mirror next to his closet. She quickly kicks off her pants and climbs into his bed; pulling the blankets to her chin. She glances over at the photo on the nightstand and whispers, "goodnight, Chuck," before closing her eyes, looking for some scarcely found sleep.

**December 5, 2004**

Sarah meets Bryce at the entrance of the CIA building in Los Angeles. Graham called an impromptu meeting suddenly, so they are going to teleconference with him, General Beckman, and Major Casey. "Hey, Sarah," Bryce smiles sincerely with a small wave. He knows about her staying in Chuck's room, which he believes is a bad idea because it will make it harder for her to get over him.

"Hi, Bryce," she smiles sweetly as they walk into the entrance.

"Do you know what this meeting was for?" Bryce asks casually as he makes small talk in the elevator.

"No, they haven't told me anything, but to be here," Sarah responds honestly as the elevator doors open.

"Maybe a new mission," Bryce shrugs as they enter the secure room on their left.

"Could be," Sarah responds as she takes her seat at the end of the rounded table; Bryce sitting next to her.

"Glad you could join us," Beckman nods sincerely but with a hint of sarcasm in her tone from the monitor in front of the two agents.

"What is this about?" Sarah asks curiously.

"We were hoping you would tell us," Beckman continues in an increasingly sarcastic tone.

"General," Graham halts Beckman's suspicions, "allow my agents to explain before you jump to conclusions."

"What are you talking about?" Bryce asks curiously and a bit agitated at how their superiors are condescendingly expecting them to know something.

The general and director scrutinize the two agents carefully before continuing. "So you have no idea then?" Graham questions as a last incision into them.

"Sir," Sarah speaks up calmly and confidently, "we have no idea what you are talking about. I thought we were on leave until tomorrow."

Graham sighs dramatically as he pinches the bridge of his nose. "Then pray tell me why a dead man is working for Fulcrum," Graham demands in a bold tone.

"What do you mean?" Bryce asks with a deeply furrowed brow.

Sarah's brow furrows too, but her dreams fill her mind instead of curiosity. _It can't possibly be him,_ Sarah ponders deeply.

Graham plays security footage of the Fulcrum building they infiltrated the last time they were in Los Angeles and they dressed up in the Nerd Herd outfits. Chuck definitely appreciated her in that outfit. She cannot help but grin at remembering his face when he first saw her in the outfit. Her mind is instantly discombobulated when she sees Chuck Bartowski following a bald burly man through the building. "No," Sarah gasps breathlessly as she covers her mouth in utter shock. "No!" She states with a little more force. "He's dead!" She bangs her hand on the table forcibly in denial. "He's dead," she sobs as she stands up and turns away from the monitors to hide the tears. "How is he not dead?" Sarah quickly wipes her eyes dry and turns back to the monitors. "Is this real?" She demands heatedly. "This isn't doctored?"

"Not that we know of," Graham finally speaks. "I don't believe Fulcrum knows that we're tapped into their security feeds."

"So this is real?" Bryce asks; still in shock. "Chuck is still alive?"

"We believe so," Beckman responds curtly. "But he's working with Fulcrum, which means—"

"No," Sarah declares quickly, "there's a reason why he is working with Fulcrum. He's working an angle, I know it."

"We cannot be certain of that," Beckman continues, slightly annoyed by Sarah's interruption. "As of now, we have to treat him as a traitor."

"But he's not!" Sarah protests testily "Director, you know Chuck! Bryce," Sarah turns to him for help.

"Agent Walker," Graham sighs heavily, "although I do not believe Agent Carmichael would betray his country, we need to prepare for the worst."

"So, Fulcrum has the Intersect," Casey muses thoughtfully.

"Do they know he's the Intersect?" Bryce asks curiously. "Don't they still think I'm the Intersect?"

"Wait," Sarah huffs as if she just had a revelation, "he's right. Bryce is right. They only know Chuck as his partner, but not the Intersect. They're probably using him to find Bryce!"

"Wouldn't they torture it out of him?" Casey questions skeptically. "He doesn't look injured physically."

"Major Casey has a point," Beckman states with similar skepticism. "Agent Carmichael looks to be unscathed."

"They're using him somehow!" Sarah defends persistently. "Maybe they… they must've blackmailed him."

"Agent Walker, I understand your devotion to your ex-partner," Beckman states officially, "but he is in no physical damage, no restraint, and appears to be obedient. Would you like to explain how that is possible?" Beckman asks knowing Sarah has no answer.

Sarah opens her mouth a few times but nothing comes out. She cannot hypothesize a reason Chuck would be helping Fulcrum. She realizes she is defeated and sits back down with a heavy sigh. "What's our mission, sir?" Sarah asks apathetically as if her passion and soul has been sapped away.

"We need you back in D.C." Graham informs them. "I have a flight ready in three hours. I'll call you with further details." The feeds end and it leaves a tense Sarah and Bryce alone.

"Thanks for sticking up for me," Sarah states sarcastically with a sickly odious tone.

"What did you want me to do?" Bryce defends.

"You could've at least said *something*," Sarah responds as she stands up. "You just stood there and let me make an ass of myself. Do you honestly believe Chuck would betray his country?"

"No, I don't," Bryce responds rigidly.

"Well, you could've fooled me," Sarah retorts agitatedly as she steps out of the room.

"Sarah, wait," Bryce chases her down in the hallway while she hastily makes her way to the elevator. "I know this looks bad for Chuck, but wouldn't he at least try to get a message out to us? I don't even know how he survived!"

"Maybe because you left him to die," Sarah answers angrily.

"I did not," Bryce defends.

"Then how is he still alive?" Sarah throws her hands up exasperatedly.

"I don't know," Bryce looks down at his feet for a second. "Fulcrum must've found him. They must've saved him somehow."

"Why couldn't you save him, huh?" Sarah demands as she fights tears growing inside her. "Why did you let them save him? Maybe he feels in debt to them now!"

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Bryce apologizes humbly. "I… I didn't know… I didn't expect him to make it."

"That's just it!" Sarah argues heatedly. "You didn't think. You could've saved him. We could've saved him." Sarah punches the wall of the elevator in anger.

"We'll figure this out, Sarah," Bryce assures calmly. "We'll find Chuck and he'll explain everything. I promise."

"We better," Sarah chides quietly.

**December 5, 2004**

Jesse blinks the grogginess out of her eyes as she scouts out the surroundings of the Greyhound bus. Most of the people are sleeping as it is pitch black outside the windows. She gently peels the blanket from around her shoulders and glances over the seats. She notices the elderly woman sitting across the aisle from her is still awake and reading a book so she sincerely asks, "Excuse me, do you know where we are?"

"We just entered Indiana," the elderly woman answers with a smile.

"Thank you," Jesse nods curtly as she starts to curl back up in the seat.

"Excuse me," the woman asks humbly, "if it isn't too personal, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Jesse smiles subtly with slight confusion.

"If you're running away from an abusive ex-boyfriend, I understand," the woman pledges with a hand up like she is under oath.

Jesse quickly realizes that her eyes are still slightly yellowed from the bruising and she lets out a small chuckle. "Thank you for the concern, but it's nothing like that."

"Oh, okay," the lady smiles with a curt nod. "Goodnight," she states before going back to reading her book.

"Thank you," Jesse whispers before pulling the blanket back to her chin. All she can think about is seeing Bryce again and telling him about Chuck. She has always been slightly infatuated by Bryce, and he has always been sincere to her.

**Please review.**

**Oh, and did anyone see Yvonne Strahovski's new photo-shoot? Just holy… wow. It is amazing! I definitely want to try Sobe LifeWater now, especially the coconut flavored one. Sports Illustrated models have nothing on her.**


	30. Misleading Leads

**Thanks for the all the reviews. I'm still working towards Chuck and Sarah's reunion and am lucky you are all still sticking with this story. You cannot blame me for taking so long to write this. I was busy drooling over pictures of Yvonne in nothing but body paint. All I want to know is, how do I get the job to be the artist? I'd love to paint on the masterpiece that is her body. In slightly related news, I cannot wait to see Yvonne live on Jimmy Kimmel. It's going to be like a dream come true to see her in person. And yes, this is my pathetic attempt at boasting.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**December 5, 2004**

Sarah tosses her small suitcase into the corner of her room inside her apartment. She gently drops her purse onto her bed and digs into it. She isn't usually fond of a purse as it may be wholly functional and useful, but she doesn't like carrying the extraneous article with her. She finally fishes out the item she was looking for and smiles reverently at it. It is the photo of Chuck and Ellie at Stanford that she was admiring last night. She doesn't even feel an ounce of remorse for stealing it from Chuck's room; neither does she feel remorse for the shirt she took. It has become an essentiality to her pajama outfit. That shirt is not only surprisingly comfortable for a shirt that looks like he got it from the school's bookstore, but it holds sentimental value to her.

She makes sure to pull it out of her suitcase and lays it out on the bed before walking into the bathroom to take a shower. She still doesn't know how to assess the situation with Chuck being alive, but working for Fulcrum. She always had a nagging feeling that he was still alive because of the dreams… and she just really didn't want to believe it. But working for Fulcrum? She knows Chuck too well to believe such blasphemy. He's not a traitor! He's Chuck Bartowski, true American, amazing spy, the most lovable and kindest man. He's the damn Intersect! He would never willingly give it up to the enemies. _He's Chuck Bartowski,_ Sarah tells herself as she starts to break into tears. _He's the man who loves me._ She weakly slams her palm against the shower tiles as the water runs down her nude body. _The only man to ever really love me._

**December 6, 2004**

Bryce, Sarah, and Casey are sitting down in Graham's office across from the Director. General Beckman is on the large monitor at the corner of the desk with the usual scowl on her face. "Alright, team, looks like Fulcrum is in possession of the Intersect and we need to get it back," General Beckman explains.

Sarah frowns at how Beckman objectifies Chuck as the Intersect only. He's so much more than just a computer program. "Shouldn't we've stayed in LA then?" Sarah questions smartly. "That's where Chuck was last seen."

"That may be true, Walker," Graham explains, "but we need to learn more about Fulcrum's plans with him before we send in a strike team. We don't even know if they know he's the Intersect."

"Sir, it seems like Fulcrum's main operations are in Los Angeles," Casey speaks up thoughtfully.

"Major Casey, you are correct on that assumption," Beckman responds with a nod. "We are working on building a base of operations of our own in Los Angeles."

"That won't be ready for a little while," Graham continues. "Right now, Fulcrum is recovering. We've been procuring many of Roark's properties, hoping to learn new information on his whereabouts. Unfortunately, nothing out of the ordinary has shown up until now. He has an unknown accomplice here in D.C. The apartment is under her name, so it didn't show up on Roark's records, but after cross-referencing with the files you recovered, he has been known to stay there at certain times while in D.C." Graham scans his eyes over the agents in front of him. "This could be where he stores some Fulcrum files. Maybe we'll even be lucky enough that Roark will be there," Graham smirks almost enthusiastically, but he knows the chances of that are slim to none. Roark can be anywhere at the moment.

"Simple breach and clear," Casey muses with optimism. "Sounds good."

"From now on," Beckman explains, "everything we speak about is completely classified and no one outside this room can know the parameters of this team or your assignments. We don't know the extent of Fulcrum's reach. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," they all nod affirmatively.

**December 6, 2004**

"This man," Roark explains seriously as he places a picture down on the table in front of Leader, "Rodney Garrett is a CIA analyst working in the Los Angeles branch. I want him captured alive to find out what the CIA knows about our plans and our whereabouts."

"Yes, sir," Leader nods seriously.

"How many times do I have to say it, no 'sirs' around here." Roark smirks almost deviously, "Call me Ted."

"My bad, Ted," Leader stands tall and tense, ready for his punishment.

"Mr. Garrett loves his Middle Eastern food," Roark grins happily. "All we need to do is throw in some of our terrorist-looking agents and knock him out. It should be easy enough."

"Yes, sir—erm, Ted," Leader fumbles over his words again. He was trained in the military to always refer to his superiors in a formal way with simple yes and no responses unless asked for elaboration. Leader turns to leave and as he opens the door of the secure room, Roark stops him.

"Oh," Roark grins brightly, "and take the kid with you. You know, show him the ropes a bit. I'm gonna go see a friend. I most likely won't be back till tomorrow."

"Roger that," Leader nods curtly before stepping out of the room, leaving Roark laughing condescendingly.

**December 6, 2004**

"Devon, honey," Ellie whines as she peeks out of the blinds of her window, "I don't like having people watching us all day."

"Babe," Devon gently wraps his arms around her waist from behind, "it's for our protection."

"Yea, but they're watching us at all times!" Ellie huffs exasperatedly as she eyes the agent in the black suit standing in the courtyard like a statue. "They could have planted tiny invisible cameras all over the house!" She turns to look at him with an affronted expression. "They could've seen what you did to me last night!"

"Babe," Devon chuckles slightly at his worried fiancé as he blushes from remembering the salaciously erotic night they spent starting in the shower, spilling into the hallway floor, and finally making it into the bed, "there's nothing wrong with sex. I for one love what you do to me," he smirks suggestively at her. "Maybe we can reenact it tonight. Plus, Sarah assured us that they wouldn't intrude on our privacy." Devon places a soft kiss on her right temple as his tone drops sensibly humble. "Besides, I'd rather know you're protected at all times then have to worry about something happening to you."

"I know," Ellie whispers sadly as she drops her head. "I don't think I could lose you either," she confesses dreadfully.

"They remind you of your brother, huh?" Devon states modestly as he finally realizes why she is so disgruntled by the agents outside. Ellie nods absentmindedly with sorrow. Devon pulls her to his chest with a strong palm along her cheek and heaves a deep sigh. "Ellie, I wish more than anything that there was some way to bring him back. He was like a brother to me, but we can't. Chuck wouldn't want you to get hung up on him." He pauses to make sure she is still with him. "I remember when I asked him for his blessings to propose to you," Devon explains with a reverent smile as Ellie looks up to watch. "He was so calm and collected. I was so nervous," Devon chuckles embarrassingly. "Have you ever heard me say something was not kosher?" Ellie shakes her head. "I didn't think so," Devon chuckles again. "But Chuck was so happy for you, babe. He nearly went off on one of his ramblings about how much you deserve this and stuff." In spite of losing her brother, Ellie smiles up at her fiancé. "And I believe your brother," Devon declares seriously. "You do deserve to be happy and if I can brighten your day just enough for you to make it to tomorrow, then I feel accomplished because nothing means more to me than your happiness."

"I love you, Devon," Ellie wraps her arms around his torso and squeezes tightly as if she is afraid he will vanish if she lets go. "I love you so much," she confesses with teary eyes burrowed into his side.

Devon gently puts his arms around her back and massages comforting circles. _Phew,_ he mentally sighs, _that was close. Way to go me, I didn't think you had it in you to be so sensitive. Definitely need a mental high five. Hya! Awesome…_

**December 6, 2004**

Sarah flips the Kevlar vest over her shoulders and velcros the sides together. She slides in the clip of her Smith and Wesson Model 5906 handgun and pulls the slide back. With a resounding click, she knows her gun is cocked and ready for action. She looks over at her other two partners, "Ready?"

Casey looks down the clip of his customized SIG-Sauer P229 with crimson trace laser grips and flat surfaces polished on the slide, controls, trigger, and hammer. After quickly counting the full clip mentally, he slams it into his gun. "Ready," he echoes affirmatively.

Sarah looks over at Bryce who nods his head as he holsters his Glock 17 onto his vest. "Good," Sarah declares loudly. "We're going in fast and hard. Clear each room in a circular formation." This person could help them locate Chuck and bring him back, so she is determined to accomplish the mission.

"Let's get this done," Casey states enthusiastically as they step out of the nondescript van parked across the street from the apartment. They sprint across the street and enter the building. They rush up the stairs and down the hallway of the third floor where Roark's accomplice, Rachel Stalls, lives. As they get to her room, Sarah kneels in front of the door and picks the lock in a magnificently short eighteen seconds. She slowly turns the knob and opens the door to the smallish apartment with a long hallway straight ahead, a family room on the left, and a kitchen on the right.

As the three agents step fully into the apartment with their guns drawn and aimed, Bryce kicks the door shut. "Fan out," Sarah orders as she starts to head down the hallway, but a female voice paralyzes the three agents.

"Teddy, baby," a young female voice giggles suggestively, "is that you?" The voice gets louder. "You're a bit early. But whatever…" Sarah sees a female figure step out from the end of the hallway in a pink robe. "More fun for us," the woman states happily as she drops the pink fuzzy robe. Rachel stands tall at five feet, eight inches, with chestnut brunette hair. Her skin is darkly tanned for D.C. weather with young brown eyes that widen at seeing the intruders before her.

"Freeze!" Sarah shouts as she takes a step towards the woman. Rachel instantly turns into a statue as three guns train on her.

"Don't kill me!" She raises her hands over her head in utter fear, more afraid to die then to cover herself up.

"Is there anyone else in the apartment?" Sarah demands as she narrows the gap between them.

"Nu—no," Rachel responds shakily, "it's just me. Please… what do you want?"

"Put on your robes," Casey orders her quickly. "Slowly," he adds in a second later.

"Ahh," Bryce sarcastically whines, "just when it was getting good."

"Shut up, Larkin," Casey gives Bryce a brief death stare as Rachel puts her robes back on. "Check the apartment for anyone else."

"Fine," Bryce huffs as he apathetically walks into the kitchen with his gun drawn.

"Ms. Stalls," Sarah regards the petrified woman, "we're with the government. Theodore Roark is wanted for treason and murder in the first degree."

"What?" Rachel drawls in utter shock. "Teddy? My Teddy?"

"Yes, do you know where he is?"

"He… he should be here in less than an hour," Rachel explains absentmindedly as she tries to wrap her mind around the idea of Roark being a type of terrorist. "He called me a few hours ago saying he needed to see me."

"Call Beckman," Sarah turns to Casey, "have her set up an ambush for him. Now!" Sarah turns back to Rachel. "How often does Roark come by here?"

"I… well, only when he comes to D.C." Rachel explains honestly. "He usually just calls me a few hours before, letting me know what time to expect him by."

"Ms. Stalls," Sarah generously lowers her weapon and holsters it, "is there somewhere we can sit and chat?"

"Um… yes," Rachel nods and leads Sarah into the family room with a coffee table surrounded by a couch and a few chairs.

Casey pockets his phone after talking with Beckman. "A team will be here in five minutes. They already know where to set up their posts."

"Good," Sarah acknowledges as she sits across from Rachel, who is on the couch. Sarah glances over the woman for a brief second, "Rachel, can I call you that?"

"Uh, huh," Rachel nods her head.

"Rachel, Roark is the leader of a terrorist organization," Sarah explains calmly as she knows it is a lot to take in to learn your lover is the mastermind behind evil. "He's arranged the murder of many people and needs to pay for his crimes."

"Apartment's clear," Bryce walks back in and sits to Sarah's left.

"How did you get affiliated with Roark?" Sarah asks Rachel kindly.

"I interned with him last summer," Rachel explains shakily. "He was always so nice to me and… and he took me out to dinner and I liked him… a lot. But when the summer ended and I wanted to get my master's degree at Georgetown, he wanted to pay for it all. He gave me the money for the apartment and tuition. All he asked was that he can stay here when he was in town. I couldn't say no after all that."

"How often does he come by?" Sarah queries calmly.

"Maybe once a month or two," Rachel responds unsurely. "He always calls first though."

"And he did call you today?" Sarah interrogates sincerely.

"Yes, only like five or so hours ago," Rachel nods vehemently. "What's going to happen?"

"You're fine," Sarah assures with a kind smile. "You're not in trouble. Hopefully, Roark will show up here and we'll be able to apprehend him."

"Walker, the team just arrived," Casey informs her. "They'll be ready in five minutes."

**December 6, 2004**

Theodore Roark is synonymous with wealth and luxury, so when he is forced to use a town car instead of a limo, he is not happy. Luckily, he is going to be seeing his D.C. pet to let off some tension and steam. Roark directs the Lincoln town car to Rachel Stall's apartment and sits back and relaxes. His thoughts quickly fill up with the kinky things he is going to do to the young twenty-three year old brunette. "We'll be there in two minutes," the driver informs Roark, causing him to lose the fantasies floating in his mind.

"Just… hurry up," Roark grumbles as he looks out the window. The town car turns onto the street and both sides are completely full with parked cars. As they slowly drive through the narrow aisle between the cars, a black nondescript van parked directly across from the apartment catches Roark's eye. He needs to be completely cautious now that the entire government is looking for him. He then glances at Stalls' apartment and sees all the blinds shut. He feels a deep suspicious feeling and makes a split-second decision. "Keep driving," he directs the driver. "Actually, take me back to the airfield. I forgot something on the plane."

"Uh… yes, sir," the driver responds a bit surprised after the fairly long drive. He drives the town car past the apartment and loops around back to the private airfield.

**December 6, 2004**

Sarah glances at her watch and deducts that they've been waiting for three hours now. "Dammit," she huffs as she knows it wouldn't take this long. "Either he never showed up or something spooked him." Sarah looks over at Casey, "did your men get out of position?"

"They did not," Casey responds surely. "I can vouch for them."

"Then what the hell?" Sarah throws her arms in the air. "We were so close. Something probably spooked him!"

Bryce sneaks a peek outside the window through the blinds. "You think it could be the van?" He suggests. "Maybe it scared him off. A guy with the whole government against him is sure to be a bit paranoid."

"Fuck!" Sarah slams her hand against the table.

"Calm down, Walker," Casey demands.

"No!" Sarah resists angrily. "If we would've caught him, then this would all be over… and Chuck could come home."

Bryce finally realizes why she is so angry. It is because she loves Chuck and she wants him back. She is determined to find him and rescue him, no matter what it takes. "Sarah, we'll find him," he assures sincerely.

Sarah huffs as she storms out of the room in complete disappointment and hostility. She needs Chuck back. She needs the sincere, loving care he always provided her with. She just wants him back so badly that it actually hurts not knowing where he is or if he is safe.

Bryce and Casey both share a stern look as both of they both see the anguish Sarah is going through.

**December 6, 2004**

Bryce is annoyed and irritated by the failure of the mission earlier. They were so close to capturing Roark once and for all. All they need to do is cut the head of the snake and the body will die. He understands that there is more in stake for Sarah as Chuck is the man she loves, but he still doesn't like failures, and would love to have his best friend back. The apartment is starting to get lonely without him. Bryce has quickly realized that Chuck was the anchor to the real world for him. Chuck was always outgoing, funny, entertaining, and sincere. He could keep a pack of wild animals entertained for days with just the things in his head. He is the only reason Bryce has anyone he can call his friend.

It seems like sleep just keeps evading him tonight and it could be any one of the possible factors that is causing it. The doorbell ringing startles him a bit as he doesn't really have any friends, Casey isn't going to come by for any reason when they can talk on the phone, and Sarah and he are not exactly on the greatest terms. He has practically screwed the pooch in every aspect in that regards. He has done almost everything wrong when dealing with her since Chuck's supposed death.

Bryce lazily gets up off the couch and pads over to the door in his wife beater tank top and grey sweatpants. He peeks through the peephole cautiously, as per spy regulations, but is shocked to see someone he hasn't seen in a while. He opens the door to the petite brunette with emerald green eyes with lightly yellowed rings around her eyes from the fairly old bruising. "Jesse?" Bryce questions at the surprise appearance.

"Bryce," she whispers breathily as she pulls him into a tight hug. "It feels so good to see someone I know again." Bryce furrows his brow deeply as he doesn't know how to react to her forward contact.

"Jesse, what's going on?" He asks curiously.

She lets go of him and walks into the apartment. Bryce shuts the door and turns to her. "Chuck, he's alive," she informs him excitedly. "He's not dead!"

"We know," Bryce's brow furrows deeper because she shouldn't even know about his supposed death.

"You do?" Jesse's brow shoots upwards. "How?"

"We caught security footage of him a few days after we thought he died," Bryce explains. "But he's working with Fulcrum now."

"No! He's not!" Jesse argues exasperatedly. "He's only working with them because… because of me," she drops her head despondently. "I… he's not working with them!" She looks back up into Bryce's eyes. "He's working as a double agent. I think he's going to try to take stop Fulcrum from the inside out."

"Are you sure?" Bryce questions enthusiastically. "We didn't see him bound or injured. They didn't torture him at all. That's pretty suspicious."

"It's because…" she lowers her head again, thoughts of being mercilessly whipped over and over along her back filling her mind along with the associated pain. "They… I was there. They held me captive. They… they tortured me," her eyes fill with anguished tears. "But Chuck traded himself for me. He said he would help them if they let me go."

"That's the bruising on your face," Bryce muses thoughtfully as he lightly runs his thumb over her cheek just under her left eye.

"Yes," Jesse whispers shakily. "Can… Can I stay with you tonight? I… I don't want to be alone." She looks back into his eyes with moist swampy green eyes.

"Yea, sure," Bryce responds humbly after seeing the pain and fear in her eyes. "We need to tell Graham about this."

"Can it wait till tomorrow?" She asks weakly. "I didn't really sleep on the bus ride here."

"Um… yea," Bryce nods absentmindedly. "Graham's probably asleep anyways," he charmingly grins. "Now let's get you to bed," he smiles subtly as he leads her towards the bedrooms. "You know Chuck's room is open along with the guest room?"

"I just don't want to be alone," she confesses tearfully. "Is that okay? I'm not intruding, am I?"

"Oh no," Bryce adamantly denies. "It's fine. Why would I mind a beautiful young woman in my bed?" He jokes with a large grin.

She shyly smiles back. "Thank you," she follows him into his bedroom.

"Plus, I've been having some trouble sleeping. Maybe having you here will change my luck."

"I hope so," she responds as she surveys his room for the first time.

"Just make yourself at home and all," Bryce instructs her sincerely. "I'll be out in a second," he disappears into the bathroom.

Jesse removes her jacket and places it neatly on the chair. She glances hesitantly at the bathroom door before sliding her pants off. She neatly folds them over her jacket and slides under the bed sheets with just a shirt and panties on. She waits patiently with her eyes on the bathroom door when Bryce walks out with a pleasant grin. He quickly slides in next to her and smiles at her. "Are you going to be alright?" He asks nicely.

"Yea," she snuggles a little closer to him.

"Good," Bryce flashes a bright grin. "Goodnight, Jesse."

She suddenly wraps her arms tightly around his waist and burrows her cheek into his chest. "Goodnight, Bryce," she whispers. "And thank you for this."

"No problem," Bryce responds with surprise at her vulnerability as he presses his hand gently to her back. As if his hand is on fire, Jesse sucks in a quick breath between her pursed lips at the pain on her still tender wounds along her back. "Are you alright?" Bryce removes his hands and looks down at her with a worried expression.

"I'm fine," she assures.

"What did they do?" Bryce demands slightly unevenly. He has always treated Jesse as a friend, even though she was more Chuck's friend than his. Jesse has always been sincere and entertaining, which made her enjoyable company.

"Really, it's nothing," Jesse reassures as she doesn't want to show him the pain they caused her.

"Jesse, let me see," Bryce demands slightly heatedly. "I want to know what they did to you."

"Please, let's just sleep," Jesse nearly begs as she doesn't want him to think she is disgusting after what they did to her.

"Jesse," Bryce states her name in a hushed warning tone as he gently pinches the hem of her plain white shirt.

"Please don't," she grovels weakly as a last ditch effort, but Bryce denies her plea. He lifts her shirt just above her navel. He slowly and gently reaches his right hand around her back and glides it up her smooth warm skin only to feel fibrous materials like bandages and gauze.

"Jesse," he whispers in sudden realization as he feels the numerous bandages pressed to her skin.

"It's not that bad," she declares frailly. "Chuck bandaged it up for me."

"Can I see it?" Bryce asks in a humbly low tone.

"I… okay," Jesse sighs as she sits up and turns away from Bryce. She lifts her shirt over her head and places it to her side, leaving her torso completely bare except for the bandages along her back. She turns her head and looks back at the closed off expression on Bryce's face. He peels off one of the bandages to see a deep wound diagonally across the length of her back sutured up. "Really, it's not that bad," she echoes her sentiments.

"You need to see a doctor," Bryce declares boldly. He's never seen such grotesque wounds so close up.

"No, I'm fine," she insists as she turns, forgetting she is topless. Before she can flash him, she covers her breasts with her left arm. "Please, I'll go see a doctor tomorrow after we talk to director Graham. Alright?"

Bryce sits there silently battling with what to do until he finally sighs. "Alright," he echoes hesitantly.

"Good," she quickly pulls her shirt back on and slides back under the covers. She sidles up next to him and rests her left cheek on his shoulder. "Goodnight, Bryce."

"Goodnight, Jesse," he breathily responds as he feels anger coursing through him at the wounds Fulcrum inflicted on her. Her right arm slowly glides up to his chest and her right leg intertwines with his right leg. She almost instantly falls asleep after feeling safe for the first time since leaving Chuck at Fulcrum's perils.

**December 6, 2004**

Roark barrels into the interrogation room with an aura of anger. Chuck and Leader are standing beside Rodney Garrett, who is bound by his wrists and hanging from the ceiling completely nude. "Bring in White, I'm not in a good mood," Roark orders annoyingly. Then he notices Chuck and remembers he was recently part of the CIA. "How the hell does the CIA know about my acquaintance in D.C.?"

"Who?" Chuck asks in honest confusion.

"Dammit," Roark grumbles and turns to Garrett. "Tell me," he slaps Garrett across the face. "Are you even awake?"

"I… I don't know!" Garrett cries out. "I don't know anything!"

Roark slaps him again with more force. "You're going to tell me everything you know about Fulcrum."

"Bo—Ted," Leader reenters the room, "Agent Alexis White." A seductive woman with light freckles along her face and black hair walks in behind Leader with a whip in her hand.

Chuck feels a flash rack his brain and he quickly turns away from anyone.

_A palm tree in front of a black night._

_Alexis White, CIA, Special Forces, Covert Operations._

_A video of her removing a victim's tooth as a torture technique._

_Another video of her whipping her torture victim mercilessly._

_A palm tree in front of a black night._

Chuck quickly blinks off the remnants of the flash, now armed with the knowledge that Alexis White was once a CIA agent who had an affinity for torture, which is most likely her reason to switch to Fulcrum. They don't play by any rules. She is also fond of whips, which causes Chuck to deduct that she is the one who tortured Jesse, judging from the numerous whip lacerations along her back.

"Who's the new guy?" She asks indifferently as she unbuttons her suit jacket.

"Just another recruit," Roark responds nonchalantly.

"He's kind of cute," Alexis smirks at Chuck. Chuck looks a bit affronted because he knows what this woman has done and she is horrifically evil.

"Just torture this man," Roark rolls his eyes. Garret lets out a strangled grovel. "I want to know what the inside of his mother's womb looks like when you're done with him."

"Wait," Chuck tops them. "What if he doesn't know anything? He's only an analyst."

"Then he still gets tortured," Roark responds nonchalantly. Garrett shrieks from his hung position.

"That's not right," Chuck responds boldly as he doesn't want this man to be tortured for no reason. "He doesn't know anything."

"And how would you know?" Roark asks expectantly.

"Because he's just a simple analyst," Chuck answers. "All he does is crunch in data about possible terrorists and send it to his superiors."

"Well, *Charles,*" Roark drawls teasingly, "I'm now labeled a terrorist by your beloved government. They destroy my office. They take my assistant! And now my girlfriend! So he's getting tortured anyways!" Roark turns to Alexis White as he suddenly calms down. "Sorry for the interruption, go ahead."

"It'll be my pleasure," Alexis grins enthusiastically as she spins the whip around joyously.

"This is unfair," Chuck grumbles through clenched teeth as he tenses up hoping he can withstand watching this innocent man get beaten ruthlessly for information he doesn't have. Chuck would want anything more than to intervene, but it isn't going to do him any good. Roark is too set on his ways and Chuck needs to stay on Roark's good graces if he is going to take them down from the inside.

**Please review.**


	31. When a Man Loves a Woman

**This is literally hot off the presses. Thanks for the reviews so far. I expect this chapter to whet your appetites, at the least. I have thought up the most devious thing that you're all going to hate me for… or applaud me. So, how 'bout last week's episode? That was definitely fun and hearing Sarah say "boobies" was just hilarious for a myriad of reasons. It is so juvenile yet comical. And Chuck's response is perfect. But the episode really set things up and I don't want to detract from the ending, but I had honestly thought of a fanfic with the same premise (I'm keeping this as spoiler-free as possible for all you international readers). Enough padding the number of words this chapter is and on with the actual story.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**December 6, 2004**

"I told you he didn't know anything," Chuck shakily responds with reserved anger and anguish. He was forced to stand there and watch an innocent man get ruthlessly beaten for information he wasn't privy to. With every whiplash, Chuck's entire body tensed and his knuckles turned white in his clenched fists. Roark is a horrible monster and needs to be stopped.

"Well, the main thing is," Roark shrugs nonchalantly, "we tried." Roark pushes the lifeless body of Rodney Garrett. The body swings like a hanging punching bag that someone just finished working out on. "Get rid of this garbage for me. I'm tired," Roark leaves the room. Leader pulls out a knife and slices the rope holding the body up; the body plopping to the floor with a slap-like thud.

**December 7, 2004**

She lets out a blood-curdling scream as the whip penetrates the bare raw skin along her back while she hangs from her bound wrists. She can hear the whip cock back ready to unleash its fury again. Less than a second later, the whip smacks against the side under her arm; the frayed ends wrapping around and slapping against the tender skin along her breast and nipple. She screams even louder from the horrific pain. She just wants it to stop. She cannot take it anymore. Her body is completely spent, she hasn't eaten or drank in nearly a day, and her mind is shutting down from all the pain.

"Tell me where the Intersect is!" The female torturer demands in an angered growl.

"I don't know what that is!" She begs for her life. "Please!"

"You know," the torturer muses with a maniacally upbeat tone, "this can all stop right now."

She can feel the torturer walk around her from behind; the torturer's fingers lightly gliding along her hipline.

The torturer looks her nude victim up and down. "All you have to do is tell me where the Intersect is," she continues in that oddly optimistic tone that only a sociopath could master.

She feels the torturer's fingers walk up her stomach and into the valley between her breasts. The fingers make their way to her right breast and pinch her nipple in almost a tease. "I… I don't know what it is. I swear," she pleas with pure honesty.

"You see," the torturer palms her victim's breast, "I tried to be diplomatic, but you just don't want to cooperate."

"I am!" She insists with raw pain and emotion.

"I guess we have to revert back to the old methods," the torturer states with mock sorrow as she removes her hand from her victim's breast.

"No, please!" She grovels in utter fear. "I'm telling the truth!"

A loud slap resonates across the room instants before a loud scream is heard from the victim.

"What? What is it?" Bryce turns to Jesse who is sitting up with her eyes wide open and her mouth open; a piercingly petrifying sound coming from it. "Jesse!" Bryce shakes her and she jumps out of his grasp and falls to the ground. She crabwalks backwards without looking into Bryce's eyes until she hits the wall behind her.

"No! Please!" She begs with all her emotions as she presses her back to the wall. "I don't know anything! Please stop hurting me!" She brings her knees to her chest and lowers her head between them.

Bryce slowly and cautiously steps out of the bed. "Jesse," he whispers humbly as he slowly approaches her, "it's me, Bryce. No one's gonna hurt you."

"Bryce?" She barely whispers as her head slowly scans upwards to see Bryce approaching her like she has some kind of infectious disease.

"Jesse," he states again as he creeps closer, "everything is gonna be alright." He gently puts his hand on her knee. "Look at me, Jesse. I'm right here."

She watches him as he sits down directly in front of her with his legs crossed. "Bryce? I… I'm sorry," she confesses as her mind finally clears from the daze the nightmare put her in. "I just… it was so vivid. It was like I was reliving it."

"Everything is fine now," Bryce assures sincerely. "It was just a nightmare and it will never happen again. I promise." Bryce looks over at the clock on the nightstand and sees that it is nearly six in the morning. "How 'bout we go to the CIA medical facility? Have them check out the wounds. Then we can talk to Graham. How's that sound?"

"Um… okay," Jesse nods weakly.

Bryce stands up to his feet and stretches out a hand to her. "Come on," he encourages with a sincere smile.

**December 7, 2004**

Jesse rests on her stomach and her left cheek in the hospital cot after the doctors patched her up. Her entire torso is wrapped up in gauze like a mummy from one of those Hollywood movies with Brendan Fraser. She watches the doctor with regard from her limited position. Bryce is standing behind her as he listens to the doctor's report.

"So," the doctor starts, "it looks like you suffered from multiple lacerations along your back. It looked like someone had done some makeshift stitching—"

"That was Chuck," Jesse states proudly.

"Uh, yes," the doctor continues with no knowledge of this Chuck, "well he did a fairly good job, but we re-stitched them. Luckily, most of the lacerations were superficial and will heal with time. But there are two that required one hundred and forty-two stitches diagonally along your back and ninety-six vertically along the right side of your back. The facial bruising will heal in a few days and there were no other significant injuries that won't heal with time."

"What does—" Jesse starts before Bryce takes up her question.

"That mean?" Bryce asks curiously as he finishes her question.

"Well, she is going to need to be careful with her movements for the next month," the doctor explains before looking down to Jesse. "No sudden movements or lifting any heavy objects. Try to relax and always ask for help if you need it."

Jesse nods her head with a subtle grin, "okay, Doc."

"Also, if you're going to take a shower," the doctor continues, "try to keep the stitches dry and away from direct contact with the water. You don't want the strength of the shower to possibly pull out the stitches. And don't get them wet for the first forty-eight hours. They'll heal up in a couple weeks and you'll be fully mobile in just over a month."

"Thank you, doctor," Jesse nods her head again with the same grin that shows she understands and is pleased by his knowledgeable report, but still dislikes the lousy situation she is in.

"You're welcome," the doctor curtly bows before leaving the cordoned off area. The only advantageous thing about the CIA medical facility is that they don't ask any questions because they know the extent of the injuries that CIA agents acquire. So, there is no reporting of gunshots or questions about how the victims came to having the wounds.

"So, you're ready to talk to Graham?" Bryce asks with a grin.

**December 7, 2004**

Sarah walks into Graham's waiting area after the unannounced phone call that told her to report immediately. As she walks in, she notices that Casey and Bryce are sitting in one of the chairs but someone else is sitting next to Bryce. Sarah quickly realizes it is Chuck's friend, Jesse. She swiftly analyzes the facial expression and residual bruising of the brunette to tell that she must've had a rough couple of missions. "Hi," Sarah provides a small grin to Jennifer before turning towards Jesse.

"Hey, Sarah," Jennifer responds jovially. "How is everything going?"

"Alright," Sarah responds simply as she doesn't feel like getting into detail the different emotions she has been feeling as of late.

Sarah walks over and sits next to Jesse. "Hey, Jesse, how are you?" Sarah asks in a friendly manner.

"Things could be better," she responds wryly but with a gloomy tone.

"Are you alright?" Sarah asks with true concern.

"I'll explain everything when we get in Graham's office," Jesse provides Sarah with a comforting grin before staring back at the ground.

A minute of awkward silence later, Jennifer informs them that Graham is ready and the four agents step into Graham's office. "Agent Willows, I'm sorry for what you had to go through, but thank you for staying so dedicated to your country," Graham starts out as the agents take their seats.

"Thank you, sir," she nods graciously.

"And this is General Beckman with the NSA," Graham gestures to the monitor.

"Hello, ma'am," Jesse states professionally, which only gets a curt nod in return from the redheaded general.

"If it isn't too much trouble, can you please update us on what you know?" Graham pushes sincerely.

"Okay," Jesse stands up to address the room. "First of all, Chuck is not working for Fulcrum. He is acting as a double agent."

"So he's not working for Fulcrum and he didn't switch sides?" Sarah asks for boastful reassurance with hope brimming in her tone.

"No, he's still on our side," Jesse assures honestly and Sarah has to stifle a cheer of victory but still lets out a contented sigh. She could've gone the juvenile route of sticking her tongue out at Graham, but stifles her inner child.

"I was locked up inside a Fulcrum facility when suddenly, Chuck showed up," Jesse explains as her mind fills with the grimy and anguished details of reliving such horror. "I… he sacrificed himself for me."

"What do you mean?" Casey asks with a furrowed brow.

"He bargained with Fulcrum that he would help them if they let me go," Jesse answers promptly. "They honored the deal, so Chuck is now working as a double agent inside Fulcrum."

"Do you know where the Fulcrum facility is located?" Bryce asks curiously.

"No, but it is somewhere within two hours of Los Angeles," she responds with the knowledge she gained from Chuck. "I believe it is underground though. When we took the elevators to leave, we ascended."

"Could it be Black Rock?" Sarah ponders curiously as she crooks her head. "Barstow is within a two hour driving distance," she muses thoughtfully.

"We already determined that Black Rock was a fluke," Graham assures.

"Maybe it wasn't," Sarah argues seriously as she feels she is onto something significant. "Maybe there is something hidden deep enough or maybe Roark has the technology to make it look like there isn't anything there. Chuck has never slipped up before and I don't think he did here."

Graham takes in Sarah's words in stride and turns back to Jesse. "Continue please," he directs her.

"Okay," Jesse nods as she goes over what she remembers. "Chuck was given a handler, a large bald man who goes by the name, Leader."

"Leader?" Casey questions suspiciously. "What type of codename is that?"

"I don't know. I only met him for a brief time, but he was who I last saw Chuck with," Jesse answers honestly.

"The security footage we captured of agent Carmichael showed him following a man who fits that description," Graham muses as he furiously types on his keyboard and Beckman's image decreases in size and slides to the right side of the monitor; the security footage of Chuck and Leader splitting the monitor symmetrically. "Is this the man?" Graham asks as he zooms in on Leader's face.

"Yes! That's him," Jesse answers enthusiastically.

"Did Chuck give you a way to contact him?" Sarah asks anxiously. "Maybe a phone number or place to meet?"

"No," Jesse drops her head sorrowfully. "He didn't leave any way to contact him. I'm sorry."

"Damn," Sarah huffs exasperatedly.

"We'll keep an eye on this Leader," Beckman assures. "This information has been helpful. Thank you, Agent Willows."

"I'm just glad I can help," Jesse replies sincerely.

"Agent Willows, do you need hospitality while you recover?" Graham asks.

"I'm staying with Bryce at the moment," Jesse replies. "If it is alright with him, I'd like to stay there." Jesse looks over at Bryce with an anxious pleading expression.

"It's fine with me," Bryce assures with a nonchalant shrug.

"Alright, Agent Willows, if you need anything, Jennifer can arrange it," Graham informs her, knowing that anyone who survives torture usually suffers mental illnesses like nightmares and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. "You're all dismissed."

As the agents leave the office, Jesse catches up with Sarah. "Sarah?" Jesse asks almost shyly.

"Yea?" Sarah glances back at the brunette with a pleasant grin.

"Chuck loves you," Jesse blatantly states, which surprises Sarah. "He told me it the first night he was there. He wanted you to know that," Jesse grins sheepishly.

"Thank you," Sarah chokes up at just hearing that Chuck loves her, even if it is from someone else.

"Sarah," Jesse humbly states, "Chuck is the greatest guy I've ever met. He is selfless and sincere. He even sacrificed himself for me. Please don't break his heart. I'd like to think of you as a friend, and if I'm not mistaken, you love Chuck too."

Sarah smiles at the brunette. "I do love him," she confesses happily. "And I would never break his heart."

"I was hoping that was your answer," Jesse grins slyly. "You're what's keeping Chuck going; knowing that he will see you again."

"Thank you, Jesse," Sarah gently hugs her friend, staying careful not to aggravate her wounds. "It's good to hear that Chuck is okay."

"You're welcome," Jesse responds as she reciprocates the embrace. "If you ever want to talk about anything, I'm gonna be staying with Bryce… And I won't be very busy seeing as I need to heal."

"Okay," Sarah nods her head as they release the hug.

**December 9, 2004**

Leader walks into Vincent Smith's office after being summoned. "Good, you're here," Vincent remarks as he sees Leader stand up by the desk. "Roark wants you to meet a private contractor here in L.A." Vincent goes on to explain. "With the CIA breathing down our necks, we need to increase our forces, no matter the monetary price. To insure the cover, you're going to be staying at a hotel for the night and meet the contractor tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," Leader nods affirmatively.

**December 9, 2004**

"Thanks for meeting us here," Graham greets the three agents before him quickly. "We picked up some chatter on Leader."

"He is meeting with a private contractor in Los Angeles tonight," Beckman continues Graham's explanation. "Agent Walker, we need you to seduce him and plant a bug on him."

"Are you sure seduction is the best route?" Sarah asks, not only because she hates the thought of advancing on another man, but Leader seems so conservative and straight-laced. "He doesn't seem like someone who would be easily tricked by seduction."

"That is why we are sending you, Agent Walker," Graham responds. "You're the best. I know how much you dislike seduction, but we need to monitor the Intersect and this seems like the best way."

"I understand," Sarah nods slowly.

"You will have Larkin and Casey backing you up," Graham assures.

"We're sending you to L.A. immediately," Beckman informs the agents. "Luckily, the time difference is on our side so you'll be there in time. Make sure the bug is well-hidden and get out."

**December 9, 2004**

"Any sign of him?" Sarah whispers into her thin silver watch along her wrist as she lazily stirs her dry martini with the plastic sword pick while sitting at the bar of the hotel in Los Angeles. She is in a gorgeous silver sequined dress that loosely hangs on the edges of her shoulders and cuts at about mid-thigh. She has large silver circular earrings that shine underneath her long golden hair. Her eyes are sultry with black eyeliner and eye shadow to give her a mysterious, yet sexy look.

"Clear on my end," Casey responds from the opposite side of the bar in his bartender's outfit of a white dress shirt with a black vest over it and a bowtie to complete the ensemble.

"Nothing yet," Bryce answers from the van as he watches over the security footage.

"Keep looking," Sarah responds dryly as all she can think about is how this man could lead them to Chuck.

After a few minutes, Bryce notices the unmistakable shine of a bald head, but the camera angle only shows the back of him. "I think I see him but can't get a positive i.d." Bryce updates the team. "It looks like he has two agents with him; possibly for protection."

"Roger that," Sarah responds as she turns in her seat to watch the entrance. As she eyes the door, time seems to slow down when she sees her tall, lanky, curly-haired nerd wearing a black suit with a white dress shirt walk in behind Leader. As if someone held a fan five feet from his head, his brunette hair bounces ever so slightly with each of his steps. "Chuck," she whispers in awe at seeing the man she loves after so long looking extremely handsome in a roguish kind of way.

Chuck's eyes analyze the room out of habit when they fall down to hers and he freezes for a moment at seeing Sarah looking as beautiful as ever. "Sarah," he mouths in complete awe. He quickly continues his pace as he stands behind Leader, who sits down on one of the empty couches.

Sarah decides to call an audible and approaches Chuck instead of her mark, Leader. She walks over to Chuck, aware of the three sets of eyes on her. "Hi, I'm Sarah," she greets Chuck with a large smile.

"Charles," Chuck responds anxiously. "But um… you can call me Chuck. Well, my friends call me Chuck." _Wow, I know she is seducing me and I'm still rambling,_ Chuck chides himself.

"Okay, Chuck," she bounces her eyebrows once.

"So," Chuck catches his bearings, "what's a lovely young lady such as yourself doing here all alone?"

Sarah actually feels herself blush slightly at his compliment. "I was hoping to meet a friend, but I can't say I'm disappointed about her absence," Sarah nearly growls gutturally with a predatory grin.

"Me neither," he grins hugely. "I'm new in town and would love to know some great restaurants," Chuck explains with a hint of seductiveness. "You wouldn't happen to be from around here, would you?"

"Oh, I know all the greatest restaurants," Sarah assures as she lightly rests her right hand on his chest in a shameless attempt of flirtation.

"Really? I'd love to take you out to dinner at the most prestigious one," Chuck declares sultrily. "Someone as beautiful as you deserves the best a city can offer."

"Well," Sarah drawls with an innocent shrug, "I already had dinner." Sarah leans into him and puts her lips less than an inch from his right ear. "I was more looking forward to dessert," she whispers salaciously as her hot breath causes delightful shivers to run down Chuck's body. "Are you staying at this hotel?"

"Yes, I have a room on the fourth floor," Chuck responds shakily before regaining his bearings. "Dessert sounds like a great idea."

"How 'bout we take this to your room?" She asks with a scary amount of innocence. "We can order room service…" she leans back in so her lips are just about against his ear. "Or you can service me in your room." She gives his right earlobe a quick nibble.

Chuck shoots a pleading glance over at Leader who is slightly stunned by the scene before him. Leader can honestly say that Chuck is a handsome man, but a girl as gorgeous as that blatantly hitting on him? That is a 'once in a lifetime' situation and Leader cannot guilt himself into denying Chuck something Roark promised him. Leader smirks deviously at the believed turned agent and nods his head.

"Well?" Sarah whispers in his ear; her hot breath once again moistening his ear canal and causing shivers through his body.

"I'd love to," Chuck responds joyously now that he is armed with Leader's consent.

"Good," Sarah responds as she presses against his right side and runs her right hand down his left cheek. Chuck gently rests his right hand along the curvature creating by her perfect buttocks at the end of her lower back. She leans even closer into him as they make their way to the elevator; her left hand suddenly finding his right ass cheek. Keeping the façade of two people lusting after each other for a one night stand, they stay close together until the elevator opens to an empty chamber. Sarah instantly morphs into a rabid animal and attacks Chuck's lips with a scary amount of passion. She quickly pushes him into the elevator as her tongue demands to taste him.

Chuck kisses back with the same fervent passion as he reaches around her to press the fourth floor. After successfully pressing the button after accidentally hitting six and five, his hand finds its home on her left ass cheek. His other hand roams her back possessively while her hands slide under his unbuttoned suit jacket and feel his muscular chest. The doors finally close behind them and the elevator lurches upwards.

As the need for air barely beats out the want for each other's lips, they separate and heave breathlessly. The elevator doors open a second later and Chuck quickly leads Sarah to his room. He fiddles with the room key until he finally gets it into the electronic card slider and the door opens. The two lovers barrel into the room and Chuck kicks it closed behind him. "Sarah," Chuck states in awe and wonderment.

She jumps onto him and assaults his tasty lips again, knocking him back and onto the bed. Chuck lets out a quick holler as he falls onto the bed as he didn't expect her delicious attack. She quickly straddles his waist with her legs while continuing to taste every crevice inside his mouth with her tongue. Finally, she pulls from his lips, both of them feeling a sense of loss. "I missed you, Chuck," Sarah whispers as she hovers over him, staring into those lovely brown eyes.

"I know," he responds in a humble whisper.

"I thought you were dead," she painfully confesses as she feels the tears threatening her internal dams. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again. I went to your funeral!" She slams her fist down onto his chest; the tears suddenly pouring down her cheeks. "I watched them bury an empty coffin in your name! Why would you do that to me? Why?" She demands with another weak punch to his chest as the tears continue to flow, dripping down onto Chuck's face.

Chuck pulls her into him and holds her tightly to his chest. "I'm sorry, Sarah," he apologizes humbly. There really isn't anything he can take the blame for as he thought he was going to die back in Roark's building. "I know I hurt you. I hurt myself. But I'm just so happy to see you again. I missed you so much, Sarah." He continues to hold her as she cries into his chest.

"Come home, Chuck," she mumbles into his tear-soaked shirt. She then lifts her head to look into his chocolate eyes. "Come home with me. Please," she tearfully demands.

"I can't," Chuck replies sorrowfully. "I have to do this. I have to stop Roark."

"No you don't!" Sarah protests as she just wants to have Chuck back. "You can come home with us. We can stop him together!"

"You know I can't do that," he humbly argues with regret and remorse, "no matter how badly I want to. I can't give up this opportunity."

"But I need you," Sarah confesses weepily as tears of anguish slide down her soft cheeks. "I need you, Chuck."

"I need you too, Sarah," Chuck cups her cheeks softly with both palms. "I've dreamed of being with you every night."

"We can be together!" Sarah states excitedly as she gives him a quick passionate kiss on the lips. "Just come home! Come home with us!"

"Sarah," Chuck sighs as he is torn between the woman he loves and the job. "I have to do this. This is our best chance to end Fulcrum." He cups her cheeks again as she leans over him. "I love you, Sarah. But we can never be happy together until Fulcrum is stopped."

Sarah buries her tear-stained face into Chuck's neck. It feels amazing to have him say that he loves her, but she knows he is right. Fulcrum will continue to harm this country and they need to be stopped. "I just want you back," she weeps resignedly. "I miss you so much."

Chuck massages her back with his left hand to comfort her. "I know this is tough, but can you please stay with me tonight?" Chuck asks humbly. "I want to hold you in my arms just for one night."

"Okay," she weakly responds as she lifts her head up from his neck. Chuck regards the oceans overflowing in her eyes with concern. She leans in and kisses him very softly. He feels her supple lips against his as she holds the kiss and her hands slide up his toned torso and rest on his chest. After breaking the kiss, she leans back to see the love stirring in his warm loving eyes. She slowly starts unbuttoning his dress shirt and he looks at her with a slightly confused but awed look. "I want to feel you, Chuck," she answers the unasked question. "I want to be as close to you as possible," she explains as she unbuttons the last of his shirt and spreads it open to reveal his toned abdomen and chest peppered with black hairs.

Chuck contently watches as Sarah feels every curvature of muscle along his torso as if she is seeing a precious artifact for the first time and wants to record every inch into her memory. She leans back in and starts trailing kisses along his neck and down to his muscular, furry chest. She loves when a man looks like a man. Waxed chests and overly groomed men is a turn off to her. She continues to butterfly kisses down the center of his body until she reaches his navel. She looks back up at Chuck with a sultry twinkle in her eyes. Chuck uses his hands to bring her back to his face so he can kiss her delectable lips. He decides to return the favor and he kisses along her neck until he reaches the intersection of her neck and shoulder. He suckles her skin until he hears a pleasant moan escape her lips.

With his hands, he slides her dress over her shoulders and hallway down her body to reveal her busty chest clothed in a black strapless bra. He trails kisses down to her cleavage as she silently moans in pleasure. "Sarah," Chuck halts his onslaught of sensual kissing.

She looks down at him with bewilderment because she never wants him to stop again.

"I love you," he assures her in a sincerely soft tone. "I've dreamt of making love with you for far too long. If this is too forward, I will stop."

"I've wanted you for far too long too," Sarah replies with a subtle encouraging grin. Chuck returns the grin joyously as he isn't going to ask twice if he can please such a beautiful angel. He sits up and brings her up with him until she is standing between his opened legs hanging off the edge of the bed. He slides the dress until it gleefully falls and pools around her feet to leave her in her black bra and black lace panties.

"You're so beautiful, Sarah," Chuck confesses with wonderment as he finds his jaw not wanting to do anything but drop.

Sarah smiles at him before sliding his jacket and dress shirt off at once to reveal his nude upper body. She bites her lower lip as she gazes at the Greek-esque sight before her. She cannot help it as she glides her palms over his abdomen up to his chest and nipples.

"I love you, Sarah," Chuck whispers hoping to have her return the words with as much love as he has for her. She grins pleasantly before crashing her lips into his.

**December 10, 2004**

Chuck wakes up to a sweet aroma of lavender and vanilla. The smell reminds him of Sarah and he smiles to himself with closed eyes as he remembers the greatest night he's ever had. He finally chances a peek as he opens a single eyelid to see the hotel room faintly lit by the sun sneaking between the blinds. He feels a weight on his chest and looks down to see golden tendrils of blonde hair splayed along his bare chest. Her hair lights up like a beacon of everything that is right in the world. He smiles down at the angel sleeping atop him. Chuck glances at the clock and sees it display that it is nearly eight in the morning. He doesn't want to wake Sarah up but he has to meet up with Leader at nine.

Chuck gently combs some of her hair behind her ear as he whispers her name, "Sarah." She stirs slightly and Chuck gently prods, "Sarah, sweetie, good morning."

"Mmm…" Sarah mumbles contently. "Good morning, Chuck," she nibbles on his right nipple.

"Uh… Sarah," Chuck tenses at her tantalizing wakeup routine and feels his loins flare with heat. "You're going to have to stop that," he nearly pleads. "I need to get ready."

"Five more minutes," she mumbles as she cuddles into his body, sparing his nipple. She has never slept so well in her entire life. Finally, things seem to be right in her world and she is exactly where she is supposed to be: by Chuck's side.

"Sarah," Chuck drawls in an almost childish whine as he strokes her cheek softly.

Sarah lifts her head off his chest and smiles playfully at Chuck. Chuck watches her with wide eyes at her gorgeous she looks for having just woken up. Her hair is straggly thrown to her right side as it hangs down and pools on Chuck's chest, but it only serves to give her an adorable 'girl next door' look.

"Wow, you're gorgeous," slips out of Chuck's lips without his mind thinking it up first.

Sarah giggles as she untangles her left leg from his. "Thank you, Chuck," she happily responds. "You're quite handsome yourself," she runs her hand along his chest and down past his stomach.

"Hi oh!" Chuck flinches as he feels her hand veer south of his waist. "Sarah," Chuck pleads nervously, "I really need to get ready. I need to shower and get dressed."

"Fine," Sarah pouts with a big huff, her naked breasts jiggling naturally. "But I'm showering with you."

"Fair compromise," Chuck smirks as he gives her a peck on the lips.

**December 10, 2004**

Chuck slides his suit jacket over his white dress shirt as Sarah clips her earrings back on her ears. "Sarah, I need to tell you everything I know before you go," Chuck states as he straightens his jacket.

"Go ahead," Sarah encourages as she reaches over and makes sure his jacket is completely straight followed by his collar being fixed, all the while making sure her hands rub up against him.

"There is a Fulcrum agent who is posing as a CIA agent," Chuck explains. "Her name is Alexis White and she killed a CIA analyst by the name, Rodney Garrett. And she is most likely responsible for torturing Jesse… Jesse!" Chuck suddenly remembers his friend. "Is she alright? Did she ever find you guys?"

"Yes," Sarah assures with a grin, "thanks to you." Sarah suddenly takes on a grim expression. "She needed some stitches on her back, but she will be okay."

"Thank god," Chuck sighs in relief.

"That was very brave of you," Sarah admits reverently. "Trading yourself for Jesse's freedom. Stupid, but courageous."

"She's a good friend," Chuck replies simply with a sheepish grin.

"And you're a great friend," Sarah leans in and kisses him on the lips. She loves kissing his soft tasty lips.

"Thank you," Chuck smiles at her before becoming serious. "I still don't know where the Fulcrum base is. I haven't been to it since leaving it. They don't quite trust me yet."

"Alright," Sarah nods before feeling a sense of loneliness. "Chuck? Is there a way for us to communicate?" She asks emotionally. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Fulcrum isn't going to let me call just anyone…" Chuck feels the light bulb ignite and shine with unending brilliance. "But if you were to pose as my girlfriend—"

"Aren't I technically your girlfriend after last night?" Sarah asks with a knowing smirk.

"You know…" Chuck cannot help but grin at the label she is giving it. "Okay, but I have an idea on how to contact you. If I say that you are my girlfriend, Fulcrum will hopefully let me see you on the side. I'll be able to meet you and update you on what I know while on supposed dates." Chuck lowers his head slightly. "But it could be dangerous," he confesses sorrowfully. "If they get suspicious, they could hurt you… or worse," he chokes up at the thought of Sarah being tortured much like Jesse did.

"I'll be fine," Sarah assures with a comforting hand on his upper arm. "I am a spy after all."

"Okay… but Sarah, if I'm gonna give you info about Fulcrum on a weekly basis, you can't have a record," Chuck explains. "Roark is getting paranoid and he'll probably do a background check on you to make sure you aren't a threat before he'll let me see you."

"I can change my name," Sarah replies thoughtfully. "I'll go by Sarah Burton and have Graham create a false civilian record."

"That'll work!" Chuck muses enthusiastically. "Sarah, this is gonna work. We'll take down Fulcrum together, just like you wanted."

"Well, we're better as a team," Sarah replies with a bright smile.

"We are," Chuck pulls Sarah into a hug. "I'm gonna miss you, Sarah. I love you."

Sarah struggles with returning the same three words although she feels it… or she feels something stronger than anything she has ever felt when she thinks about Chuck. She doesn't know exactly what it is, but she hopes it is love because it feels amazingly great and nearly addictive. She doesn't know why it is so hard to say those three words back when she knows she feels it. The sensation she gets when she is with Chuck has to be love. It can't be anything else. She has even agreed that she loves him on more than one occasion to herself and others, yet the words elude her. She hesitantly replies, "I'm gonna miss you too. Here," Sarah steps back with a salaciously sly smirk and slides her hands under the bottom of her dress.

"What are—" The question dies on Chuck's lips as he sees Sarah's hands slide down her long silky legs with black panties attached to them. She steps out of them and displays them in front of Chuck's face with a victorious smile.

"Souvenir," she joyously balls them up and pockets them in his jacket pocket by his chest. Chuck's face glazes over with amazement as he is paralyzed with lust.

**Please review.**


	32. The Life and Times of an Undercover Spy

**Okay, okay… how was the last episode of Chuck? Insane, right? Holy guacamole that was an intense ending. Sadly, promos give it away a bit, but it was still fantastical. I should start a crusade that the promo cannot show anything within the last twenty minutes of the episode. Then again, after next week, I'm no longer going to worry about promos because I don't really watch any other shows. They just cannot hold a candle to the amazingness that is the show, Chuck. But next week's double header is going to be a mixture of everything that makes Chuck so great: a bit of angst, comedy, romance, action, friendship, family, sexy time, and the best characters known to mankind. So, next week is going to be awesome after such a great penultimate episode. All I can really say is that Sarah has come a long way since the start of the show… or has she?**

**Thanks for all the reviews so far. I know you guys liked that last chapter as it was 31 chapters in the making. Finally, they not only get together but some sexy time too. I had to add some more in this chapter because it is awesome.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**December 10, 2004**

Sarah fits in her earpiece as she happily gazes at Chuck sitting on the bed. "Bryce? Casey?" Sarah calls into her microphone watch she had just put on. "Can you hear me?"

"Wow, Walker," Casey responds first with a sardonic mocking tone, "you just gave seduction a whole new meaning."

"Shut up, Casey," Sarah chides but cannot help the smirk slipping into her tone.

"Who's Casey?" Chuck asks curiously.

"He's an NSA Major," Sarah responds. "It seems the Intersect was supposed to be shared between the two agencies, but Graham never got the memo."

"I'm sure he didn't," Chuck replies sarcastically as he knows Graham's tendencies to be the selfish hero and leader.

Sarah smiles at Chuck before bringing her watch back to her mouth. "Casey, I'm here with Agent Carmichael. He's alive and successfully infiltrated Fulcrum's ranks."

"How is he?" Bryce asks with a hint of concern. The last time he saw his best and only friend was curled up on the floor bleeding from two gunshot wounds.

"He's fine, Bryce," Sarah grins at Chuck. "Actually… he's better than ever," Sarah winks suggestively, eliciting a huge smile from Chuck. "I'm in his hotel room but he needs to leave soon."

"Doing the walk of shame, Walker?" Casey nags victoriously.

"I have nothing to be ashamed about," Sarah replies smartly. "I'll spare you the juicy details, but we have a plan to stop Fulcrum."

"What is it?" Bryce asks curiously; happy for his friend and partner to be safe and happy.

"I'm gonna pose as Chuck's girlfriend," Sarah replies with a hint of enthusiasm. "We'll meet every few days under the guise of a date. Chuck will give me whatever intel he can and I'll relay it back to Graham and Beckman."

"Who's Beckman?" Chuck asks curiously.

Sarah rolls her eyes at Chuck's ignorance. "I forgot you've been out of the loop. Beckman is the head of the NSA and a general… a kind of mean and diminutive general."

"Okay," Chuck shrugs indifferently, satisfied with just learning the knowledge.

"Does Fulcrum know he's the Intersect?" Casey queries seriously.

"No, they have no idea," Sarah replies happily. "They think he's just Bryce's old partner."

"You do realize the danger behind this, Walker," Casey informs her in a warning tone.

"I do, but I'll have Graham set me up with a legitimate cover that will make me look like any normal citizen," Sarah replies confidently and joyfully. "This is our best chance to stop Fulcrum. Chuck has even been in the same room as Roark and we all know without him, Fulcrum will topple. He's the brains and money behind them."

"That means you're going to have to be posted out of L.A." Bryce muses thoughtfully. "The base isn't ready yet."

"I'm aware of that," Sarah replies with a hint of sorrow in her tone. "We may have to be split up. I'll come back to D.C. with you guys but once Graham okays the plan, I'll need to stay close to Chuck."

"Shit…" Casey sighs dramatically. "Alright, we'll bring back the proposition to our superiors."

Sarah looks at Chuck with a victorious smile. "Well?" Chuck queries with raised eyebrows.

"We'll see in a few days," Sarah responds in a sultry tone as she leans in and kisses him softly on the lips. "But I think we have a strong case here. Graham will definitely go for it." She saunters with a bright smile on her face as she looks down at Chuck sitting on the edge of the bed. She fits perfectly between his thighs as he looks up into her bright smile.

His grin grows into a full blown smile at how adorably sexy she looks at the moment (well, technically she looks sexy at all times but this particular moment she looks adorable with a hint of naughtiness in her expression). "God, I love you," Chuck declares in a sigh.

"Come on, we have to go, Chuck," Sarah commands as she internally scolds herself for not saying she loves him back. She still doesn't know why it is so tough to say three simple words. It might be due to the fact that she's never said it to anyone before except for her own parents.

"Yea," Chuck sighs slightly despondently, "I can't be late to whatever they have me doing. I think I'm gonna be meeting a mercenary or something."

"Don't worry, Chuck," Sarah assures boldly, "everything is gonna work out."

"I hope so," Chuck worriedly mumbles under his breath as he follows Sarah to the door.

"You have my number?" Sarah asks for reassurance.

"Yep, in this handy smartphone Fulcrum has issued me," Chuck pats his pocket where the phone is located. "Honestly, I don't get why they call it a smartphone. It isn't that smart. All it can really do is call and text like all cellphones. So, really, it's a pretty dumb phone."

"Chuck," Sarah deadpans, "you're spiraling."

"Spiraling?" Chuck furrows his brow. "I am? Am I?"

"Yes," she gives him a peck on the lips. "You ready to sell this?"

"Sell what?" Chuck asks with mock innocence. "You are my girlfriend," he deadpans. His smirk at the end gives it away. "Unless you don't want to title it… and that's fine with me, but we are together and that's what matters."

"Chuck," Sarah whines as he rambles again. "Stop fooling around," she playfully hits him in the upper arm. "This is serious."

"Sorry," Chuck grins at Sarah. "Let's do this."

Chuck wraps his left arm around Sarah's shoulders as she opens the door into the hallway. Sarah happily wraps her right arm around his waist as they walk to the elevator. As they exit the elevator and enter the lobby, they both notice Leader sitting on a bench with the other Fulcrum agent; Sarah pretending to be oblivious to the Fulcrum agent's presence.

"It's show time," Chuck whispers into Sarah's ear. He releases her and caresses her cheek with his right palm. He plants a soft sensual kiss on her lips. She cannot help but grind her hips against him at the toe-curling kiss. After they slowly release the passionate kiss, they both stare into each other's smoky eyes that are filled with love for one another.

Sarah actually needs to regain her bearings for a slight second before cheerfully calling out, "Call me!" as she leaves the hotel with a huge smile on her face.

"I will," Chuck shouts back before slowly and confidently walking over to Leader and the Fulcrum agent in a meander that says 'I just got laid and am the ultimate badass for it.' Chuck isn't someone who boasts much, but even he can take pride in being with lovely Sarah Walker.

"Damn, Carmichael," Leader greets with a mixture of envy and pride, "I take it the night went well." Leader chuckles at his quip.

"I'd like to think it went better than that," Chuck smirks and shoves his hand into his jacket pocket. _Sorry, Sarah, _he apologizes in his mind as he whips out the black panties he gave her as a souvenir. Chuck winks at the wide-eyed, jaw-dropped expression on Leader and the Fulcrum agent before pocketing the panties.

"How was she?" The Fulcrum agent asks with a knowing smirk.

"Come on," Chuck drawls nonchalantly. "I don't kiss and tell… but I'm definitely going to see her again."

"I don't think that's advisable," Leader states seriously. "We can't trust you yet."

"Seriously?" Chuck scoffs agitatedly. "I could've sworn Roark promised me all the girls I want. I just happen to like that one a lot."

"We'll have to see," Leader replies cryptically as he makes a mental note to have Roark run some background checks on the woman to make sure she is absolutely clean. "You ready to hire some new muscle, Carmichael?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Chuck replies as Leader stands up and they leave the hotel.

**December 10, 2004**

"Mr. Colt," Leader shakes hands with a large brutish African-American man inside a warehouse. There are twelve men standing behind him in fully decked out tactical outfits with MP5 submachine guns and G36 assault rifles. "We're looking forward to working with you."

"My sentiments exactly," Mr. Colt responds with a victorious grin. Chuck watches in curiosity at who this man is. He didn't flash on the man, which was his only way of identification. "Breaking into a government facility isn't exactly the easiest thing," Mr. Colt states expectantly.

"That's why we're offering five hundred thousand up front," Leader directs the other Fulcrum agent to open up the briefcase in his hand. "Five hundred now… and five hundred after you recover Orion."

Chuck's eyebrows shoot up for a second at hearing his father's codename. Fulcrum must know where he is and are going to try to kidnap him. He needs to tell Sarah as soon as possible. Mr. Colt takes on a slightly wicked smile as he gazes upon the stacks of bills neatly packed into the suitcase. "Looks like we have a deal then," Mr. Colt smirks as he takes the briefcase from the Fulcrum agent.

"The blueprints for the building are all inside the briefcase and if you have any questions, my number is in there," Leader explains. "It's a pleasure doing business with you," he smirks ever so slightly.

**December 10, 2004**

"I like the initiative, Agent Walker," General Beckman remarks after hearing Sarah's plan to pose as Chuck's girlfriend.

"Thank you, sir," Sarah nods curtly, but deep inside she is giddy and anxious to see Chuck again… and not just for intel on Fulcrum. "But it was mostly Chuck's idea."

"But you do understand the risks involved if you were to be made?" Graham warns as he doesn't want anything to happen to one of his best and favorite agents. He was the one who recruited her after all. In an odd way, she is like the daughter he never had.

"Yes, I do, sir," Sarah confidently nods again.

"Then you will pose as Sarah Burton, a yogurt salesman in Burbank, California," Graham smirks almost devilishly. "You'll see the accommodations are quite nice. We're setting you up with a suite in the brand new hotel, Maison23."

"What about us, sir? Ma'am?" Bryce asks curiously as he refers to himself and Casey.

"The underground base we've been establishing is nearly finished," Beckman explains almost joyously. "You'll be heading out at the end of the week."

"Agent Walker," Graham addresses her officially, "pack your bags because you're moving to Los Angeles tomorrow."

"Yes, sir, ma'am," Sarah nods emphatically. She's already packed and ready to go. She's a spy and spies don't plant roots.

**December 10, 2004**

Bryce opens his front door to see Jesse curled up on the couch in the fetal position in her boy shorts and one of his plain white undershirts. Bryce studies her as she looks to be cold and pale. "Jesse?" Bryce asks with concern.

She turns to him and quickly jumps off the couch and wraps her arms around him. "I missed you last night," she confesses emotionally as she is on the verge of tears. "The nightmares were back."

"I'm sorry," Bryce gently wraps his arms around the top of her back as he is wary of her still healing wounds. "We had a mission, but we made contact with Chuck. He's alright… and Sarah is gonna take good care of him."

"He's alright?" Jesse asks hopefully.

"Yes and there's no one more determined than Sarah," Bryce replies confidently.

"Because she loves him," Jesse declares gleefully with a playful smile on her lips as she teeters on her heels. "I knew it from the minute I saw the two of them together."

_That would've been nice to know a little earlier,_ Bryce sarcastically reflects. "Yea, I've never seen someone so devoted in my life," Bryce responds with a faraway look as his mind reminisces on his stupid idea to turn Sarah's love into a competition. But with the supposed death of his friend, he has changed. It took losing his best and only friend to realize he needed to change. Bryce wouldn't lie in front of a court of law that he would be stealing a few pages from the Chuck Bartowski handbook in how to be a sincere genuine person. So far, he hasn't run Jesse away and Bryce is actually enjoying helping Jesse in almost a 'damsel in distress' way. If Chuck can be her friend, then so can he.

"Yea," Jesse nods as she studies his look with a furrowed brow. "Are you alright?" She asks with concern as she gently cups his left cheek with her right hand.

"Huh? Yea," Bryce shakes himself out of his stupor. "You must be tired if you had nightmares. I can use some sleep myself. What do you say about retiring to the bedroom for the night?" He smiles sincerely. "Tomorrow we can restock the fridge and pantry."

"Yea, I noticed there wasn't much to eat," Jesse deadpans with a smirk.

"Well, Chuck and I were plucked right out of college," Bryce replies happily in a tone laced with humor. "We didn't have much time to learn to cook. Pretty much if it isn't microwaveable then it isn't worth buying," Bryce chuckles at his joke and Jesse joins in as they happily retire to the bedroom to get some much needed sleep.

**December 10, 2004**

"Sir—uh, Ted?" Leader fumbles over greeting his boss.

"What is it?" Roark asks with a tad of humor in his tone as he looks up from the table he is hovering over.

"Carmichael seems to have found a… girl," Leader explains skeptically as he doesn't trust Chuck yet.

"Congratulations!" Roark stands up tall and claps his hands together with a maniacally high amount of excitement for someone he doesn't trust. "Our boy is finally becoming a man."

"Yes, but there's a slight problem," Leader shuffles on his feet. "He wants to see her again."

"And the problem is?" Roark asks indignantly.

"We cannot trust him yet," Leader answers simply. "We don't know who this woman is… and he could pass along intel through her."

"Then we run a background check on her," Roark orders as if it is the most obvious thing in the world. "I promised the kid pussy, and I'm not gonna fall back on it. So, what's her name?"

"Sarah Burton," Leader replies.

"I'll have our guys run some background checks on her," Roark states. "But you're right… we can't trust him yet. But that will soon change," Roark smirks evilly. "I want to know the kid's skills. Take him to the firing range tomorrow and see what he can do."

"Yes, sir," Leader nods and ducks out of the room before Roark could correct him on using such formalities.

**December 11, 2004**

"Alright, Carmichael," Leader instructs as he places a handgun on the counter of the firing booth, "I want you to hit the target."

Chuck lifts the firearm and scrutinizes it through the safety glasses. "Hmm…" Chuck ponders the weapon in his hand. "Glock, what, seventeen, eighteen?"

"Twenty-one," Leader answers for Chuck "Now show me how well the CIA trained you."

"Ha…" Chuck humorlessly laughs. "Alright," Chuck commentates on himself as he grips the pistol and slithers his finger around the trigger. He tries to calm himself but he is nervous and giddy after seeing Sarah and hoping to see her again soon. He also needs to tell her that Fulcrum hired a mercenary group to kidnap Orion. Chuck takes a few deep cleansing breaths to calm himself. He aims slowly, using his off hand to stabilize his shooting. He takes in a deep breath and rapidly fires four consecutive shots while dropping his aim after each shot to compensate for the recoil. He releases his breath and takes another one, firing another four shots at the target thirty feet away. He repeats his process until the gun clicks from running dry of bullets.

Leader reels in the target to see how Chuck's aim is. As the target gets closer, Leader remarks, "not bad…" He pulls the target off the clips and studies the tattered target with multiple holes in the center and a couple that strayed an inch or two. "For CIA," Leader scoffs. "Maybe you aren't completely useless after all."

"Gee, thanks," Chuck sarcastically responds to Leader's mocking tone.

"Oh yea, Roark okayed you seeing that girl," Leader updates him apathetically. "So don't fuck it up," Leader laughs maniacally.

"Really?" Chuck's eyes widen in surprise. He was worried that they wouldn't let him see Sarah, but the cover Graham created for her must've been sufficient.

"Let's go," Leader leads Chuck out of the private firing range; the expended gun left on the counter.

**December 11, 2004**

Chuck is sitting at the coffee shop, his knee bouncing erratically. He's never been so anxious in his life. Every time the door opens and that annoying bell rings, he looks up hoping to see his beautiful angel. Not even after the fifteenth time has he lost any hope or excitement. So on the sixteenth bell, Chuck looks up and finally sees the bright golden coils that can only belong to a single person, an angelic goddess. A smile grows on Chuck's face as he sees her dazzling blue eyes lock onto him, followed by her luscious lips curling into a joyful grin.

She saunters up to him as her hair gently blows backs as if there is a fan hitting her (where this fan comes from, no one knows). She latches onto Chuck's cheeks with each hand and plants a passionate juicy kiss on his lips. "Hi, Chuck," Sarah grins brightly at seeing the glazed over, awed expression on Chuck's face. "I missed you."

"Uh…" Chuck finally breaks out of his daze. "I missed you so much, Sarah," he smiles brightly at seeing the woman he unconditionally loves again. Just spending the couple days away from her after their reunion was painful.

"Enough to take this back to my apartment?" Sarah winks salaciously.

"An offer like that?" Chuck pretends to ponder it thoughtfully when in reality, he's already accepted. "How could I possibly refuse?"

Sarah smiles brightly. "Let's go," she stands up and grabs his hand leading him out the door.

**December 11, 2004**

Sarah enters her very luxurious hotel room and quickly shuts the green door behind Chuck. "Sorry," she breathlessly smiles at him, "I just… I can't believe their letting us be together!" Sarah throws her arms around Chuck's neck and plants a passionate kiss on his lips that would rival hormonal teenagers in love.

"I know," Chuck replies after breaking the kiss way too soon. "I was afraid they weren't going to trust me—oh god!" Chuck covers his mouth in a hefty gasp. He lowers his hands and mouths 'did you check for bugs?'

Sarah smirks almost wickedly. "Paranoid much? I already scanned for them. It's clear."

"Sorry," Chuck averts his gaze as he gloomily looks off to the lower left, "it's just… all this sneaking around…"

"I know, Chuck," Sarah sympathizes with a tight hug around his body as she tucks her head under his chin. "But we'll stop them soon. Then we can drop all the cloak and dagger stuff."

"I can't wait," Chuck sighs as he holds the woman he loves tightly in his arms. They stand in amiable silence while holding onto each other until Chuck breaks the silence. "As much as I called you just because I wanted to see you, I do have to update you on Fulcrum's plans."

"I know," Sarah shoots him a quick grin before stepping back and sits down on her bed. She looks up at him with her full attention.

Chuck slowly makes his way onto the bed next to her and leans forward with his fingers intertwined between his knees. "Fulcrum has hired a mercenary," Chuck confesses dramatically. "He goes by the name Mr. Colt. I didn't flash on him. I don't know anything about him, but his mission is to kidnap my father."

"I'll update Graham right now," Sarah pulls out her phone. "He can move him to a safe location; somewhere Fulcrum doesn't know."

"That would be great," Chuck smiles at her. "I'm almost certain Fulcrum monitors my phone calls. They are paying for it after all," Chuck shrugs humorously.

"Okay," Sarah smiles at Chuck's comedic side. "I also noticed we had a tail on our way back here. They still don't trust you, do they?"

"I don't think they'll ever fully trust me," Chuck confesses despondently.

Sarah decides to change the subject because this is a joyous occasion, she is with Chuck again. "You like my new home?" She asks with a toothy smile. "It's brand new. I just moved in today."

"It's quite nice," Chuck agrees as he looks around the largish hotel room with a full size bathroom along with a small kitchen area with a microwave and a small fridge in it.

"Make yourself at home," Sarah stands up and walks over to the bathroom. "I'll be right out," she starts dialing Graham's number as she closes the door behind her.

Chuck looks around the hotel room while running his hand along the bed. The duvet is soothingly cold and soft. He stands up and walks over to the window the size of the wall. _Dangerous hazard,_ Chuck's mind immediately reasons. He takes a fleeting glance outside at the view of Los Angeles under the blazing sunset before shutting the blinds completely. He lazily walks back over to the bed and right as he sits down on the end of the bed, the bathroom door swings open and Chuck's jaw drops.

"Why are you still wearing clothes?" Sarah asks indignantly as she saunters up to him in a red negligee that is nearly translucent along with matching red panties that are even more transparent.

"Wha…?" Chuck trails off in awe at such beauty and perfection.

"Oh well," Sarah shrugs adorably innocently. "I guess I'll just have to take them off for you." She pounces on him like a tiger attacking its prey as she pushes him down against the bed and straddles his waist. Her lips dive in and capture his with a fierceness that only someone in complete love could accomplish.

**December 11, 2004**

Sarah is cuddled into Chuck's left side as his arm wraps around her bare shoulders. Her left arm is lazily splayed across his abdomen tracing his individual muscles as they both sit nude with their upper backs against the headboard inside her hotel room. The duvet and sheets slothfully crease up at their waists. "Sarah?" Chuck speaks her name with a tone dripping with concern.

She looks up at him from her snug cocoon under his arm. "Yea?" She responds with a worried tone.

"I don't know how long I can do this, Sarah," Chuck confesses miserably. "I just… I feel like I'm losing myself. I watched them murder an innocent man right in front of my eyes! They brutally tortured him to death! I can't do this, Sarah. I can't pretend to be evil. It's just not in me. It's not in my blood."

"And that's why I love you," Sarah responds softly as she turns and hugs onto him tightly. "You're good at heart and you're selfless… and nice… and sweet." It doesn't dawn on her that she just said she loves him until she finishes her anecdote. She quickly realizes how easy and fluid it was to say it. She's so giddy with excitement that she almost wants to scream it as loud as she can. She doesn't understand how it was so difficult to say before. It is completely true: Sarah Walker loves Chuck Bartowski and she doesn't care who knows it.

"And I love you, but I can't do these things, Sarah," Chuck continues to worriedly complain as he holds her tightly and massages her warm silky back with his right hand. "I can only pretend for so long. Sooner or later, they're going to expect me to do something I just can't do."

Sarah doesn't know what to say to him. She just wants him to be safe and for them to be together without sneaking around. She's never been in a situation where she was undercover for longer than a few days. She doesn't want to lie to him, but she doesn't want to hurt him either, so she opts for the truth. "I don't know what to say, Chuck," she sorrowfully confesses as she lets her face burrow into his chest. "I've never been in your situation before… but I will be only a phone call away," she gazes back into his eyes with pure determination. "I'll always have my phone on me and if you ever need help or just want to see me, I'll be here because Chuck…" She takes a deep cleansing breath. "I love you."

"I love you too," Chuck smiles wryly as he knows she is trying to cheer him up and it helped immensely, but the situation he is in is so fucked up that he cannot be completely happy until Fulcrum is stopped and everyone is safe.

**Please review.**


	33. The Big Con

**Chuck is not over. Sure, the recorded episodes on national television are finished, but it will always live on in our hearts and minds. Fanfiction will always continue the legacy of Chuck for years to come. Take pride in the four glorious years and ten episodes this show has given us. Be praised that it introduced us to actors like Yvonne Strahovski, who virtually no one had ever heard of before the show but now adores and admires, Zachary Levi, who is the number one nerd and shows that it is cool to be one, Adam Baldwin, who wasn't new to the world of television but will always be known to us as John Casey, Joshua Gomez, who absolutely no one had heard of before this show (come on, don't tell me you knew who he was before seeing Chuck. Maybe you recognized him from Without A Trace, but didn't actually know him as an actor), Sarah Lancaster, who is sexy and beautiful in her own right when she plays a more pivotal role than a gift shop girl, Ryan Mcpartlin, who is the only Abercrombie and Fitch model you don't hate with a passion (don't try to tell me you can walk in that store and not choke on the thick haze of cologne sprayed on a half an hour basis), and since this sentence is like fifteen lines long, just the rest of them are amazing actors keeping Chuck the unique genre it is.**

**SPOILER ALERT! I've kind of gotten a bit more over the series finale and am starting to warm up to it like I did to the new Linkin Park CDs, but I still feel like it was more biter than sweet. It really took the five years of growth that Sarah went through and pissed all over it. Chuck needs to warm her back up and we'll never see it. I just think it is so ironic how they finally get a finale that they know is going to be the end and then give the biggest cliffhanger of them all. This should've been called **_**Chuck Versus the Cliffhanger**_** or more appropriately **_**Chuck Versus the Fuck You Letter**_**. It was more of a fuck you letter than a love letter in every aspect. I need to stop venting about it and have already broken down and started writing a sequel to the finale. Hopefully it'll be up soon if anyone is interested and no, the kiss isn't magical enough to bring back her memories. This story will actually have some action and heartbreak too it, but at least I can promise you a happy definitive ending.**

**Thanks for the reviews so far. This story has taken a bit of a life of its own, although my original idea was to have Chuck supposedly die only to reemerge as a double agent for Fulcrum. Everything you guys tell me in reviews helps shape this story into the novel it is.**

**I do not own Chuck, but now I wish I did more than ever to fix the horrific blemish they left on the show that is reminiscent to Joe Paterno's legacy.**

**December 13, 2004**

A soldier in all black tactical gear places breach charges against the wall of the building as the ides of midnight approach. He steps back and glances at his masked leader, who nods in confirmation while standing in front of a squad of eleven men. The soldier squeezes the detonator and blows the wall completely open, leaving a cloud of debris floating about the six by eight foot hole. The alarms blare off throughout the building, but the soldiers ignore it. The brawny leader heads in first as he has never been a man who leads from behind. He didn't get to control his militia of soldiers without going through the ropes first. His twelve man team follows him into the building and to the stairwell. They run up the stairwell as fast as they can, moving as one fluid unit. The leader uses his brute strength to shoulder charge the fifth floor door open. He rushes in with his MP5 aimed forward as the team quickly clears the hallway towards their target.

A guard in a black business suit turns the corner with a gun in his right hand and a radio in his other hand. "Code red!" He shouts into the radio. "I need backup on the fifth floor." He drops the radio and aims his measly handgun at the squad of mercenary soldiers filling up the entire hallway. "Freeze!" He demands nervously as he gets a clearer picture of what he's up against.

The Leader aims his gun at the lone guard as his soldiers fan out behind him to make a wall reminiscent of the ancient Spartans of Sparta. Thirteen lasers instantly pepper the guard's body with luminescent red dots. "I would put my gun down if I were you," the leader speaks in a rich, low pitch. "You're completely outnumbered here. You take a single shot and you will be dropped before your finger can release the trigger."

The lone guard tremors fearfully as he glances at his illuminated chest that has a single large red circle hovering against it as all the individual laser dots form together like the individual mechs of Voltron morphing together. "Why would I do that?" He shakily demands as he holds his gun pointed towards the militia.

"Because you find me imposing," the leader speaks in a humored tone, "Don't worry; be honest. I was going for imposing."

The lone guard slowly places his gun down on the ground and kicks it to the squad of soldiers as he nervously retreats with cautious steps. "What do you want?" the guard worriedly asks.

"We want what's inside there," the leader answers eerily calmly. "It's fairly simple, really. You give us Orion and we don't kill you."

"He's—He's in there. Ju—ju—just don't kill me," the guard continues to step backwards towards the dead end at the end of the hallway.

"Are all government agents this pathetic?" One of the soldiers quips with a snort as the entire team heads towards the door that houses Orion. One of the soldiers zip ties the guard's wrists behind his back.

"If you're lying, we'll come back and kill you," the soldier threatens the guard with a maniacally optimistic tone. "Comprendo?"

"Yes," the guard vigorously nods his head up and down. He was going to risk correcting the soldier on his incorrect tense of the Spanish word.

"Good," the soldier catches up with his team and enters the room.

The room is large and dark. The room is absolutely empty except for a lone desk in the center with an unoccupied chair and a door on every wall. "What is this?" The leader demands when suddenly all the doors fly open and military soldier after military soldier rushes into the room, aiming their guns on the team of mercenaries.

"Freeze!" Major Casey orders tersely with his M4 assault rifle customized with a red dot sight sits steadily in his hands and stares down the leader of the group. "You're surrounded. Drop your weapons and put your hands up."

"Damn," Mr. Colt chuckles sardonically as he lowers his gun. "Fulcrum played us, boys. It was an honor working with all of you."

**December 14, 2004**

Chuck doesn't know why he is present for this, but Roark, Leader, and Vincent are standing in the interrogation room. Suddenly, an unnamed Fulcrum agent drags in a short skinny man with a bag over his head. The agent places the masked man in the lone chair in the room and ties the masked man's arms to the chair before leaving. Roark walks up to the masked captive in consternation.

"You lied to me," Roark deadpans with reserved hostility in his tone as he removes the hood from the captive. The captive glances around in utter fear as he seems the brooding men standing over him. Chuck feels the oncoming tingle of a flash and looks towards the ground.

_A floating duvet._

_CIA analyst, Richard Grouse, with a tenure of twenty-three years._

_Stationed in Washington D.C. for the last sixteen years._

_A picture of the man with a woman in her late forties and two young children, a boy and a girl._

_A floating duvet._

Chuck shakes himself out of the flash as this man seems like he's been a dedicated patriot for most of his life. But he somehow has ties to Fulcrum.

"No, I swear," Richard pleas frightfully, "I told you everything you wanted to know!"

"Then pray tell me," Roark demands lightly before raising his voice, "why isn't Orion in my hands?" Roark screams at the top of his lungs with a ferocity seldom seen by the comedic head of Fulcrum.

"I told you where he was," Richard sputters out in a petrified state. "He's working on the fifth floor, room 6A."

"Well, he wasn't in there when we checked," Roark paces back and forth pensively.

"I swear, I've never lied before," Richard tries to weasel out of being tortured. "Not in the three years we've been working together have I given you bad information."

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Roark states sickly innocently as he quickly pulls the handgun holstered on Vincent's hip and aims it at Richard.

"P—p—please, I have a family," Richard grovels for his life as a last ditch effort.

"Isn't that touching," Roark mockingly states as he smirks from around the barrel staring down Richard. "Looks like she's having a quick divorce. Maybe I'll hit that when I get in town."

"No!" Richard shouts before a loud bang leaves the room in silence. Richard's body slumps in the chair as blood pours out of the hole in his forehead.

Roark holsters the gun in Vincent's holster and looks over at Leader and Chuck. "Clear this trash out," he orders odiously. "He was never helpful anyways."

"Let's go, Carmichael," Leader unties the binds on Richard's arms and lifts him by his armpits while Chuck reluctantly grabs the dead man's legs.

**December 14, 2004**

"I'm getting sick of this," Roark states as he hovers over his desk. He cocks his hand to the side to glare at Vincent. "We're not making any advances. We still don't know where the Intersect is, we're still being avidly hunted, and we just lost one of our best moles."

"What would you have me do?" Vincent asks with a straight face.

"I don't like how this is going," Roark states seriously. "The CIA is too close to us. We need to stop them… even if for a short while. I need you to take this man out," Roark slides a folder across his desk and Vincent picks it up.

"Are you sure?" Vincent asks after looking at the picture. "This isn't going to be an easy target."

"We have the location of his home," Roark informs Vincent as he points to the folder. "Make sure no one sees you and you have to use this weapon," Roark slides a handgun inside a plastic bag across the desk.

"A Glock 21?" Vincent furrows his brow. "Make sure not to smudge any of the fingerprints on it. Leave the gun by the body when you're done. Oh, and take Carmichael and Leader with you."

Vincent takes a brief glance at the image of the person he is assigned to assassinate and then looks over to the gun. "It will be done," Vincent nods his head to show his loyalty to his boss. Vincent pockets the bagged gun and clenches the folder between his underarm and ribcage before leaving the room.

**December 14, 2004**

As she gets ready for bed, this question has been on her mind since being tortured. Every nightmare only reinforces her curiosity as she has no idea what it is or what is so important about it. "Bryce?" She asks sincerely as she removes her sweatpants to leave her in her pajama shirt and some plain cotton panties.

"Yea, Jesse?" Bryce asks as he sticks his head out from the open bathroom door.

"What's the Intersect?"

"What?" Bryce tenses at hearing it. She should have no knowledge of it.

"It's just…" Jesses gets choked up as she remembers the brutal torture. "When I was… being tortured… they kept asking me where it was. I didn't know what it was and still don't. The only time I had ever heard it was on that mission with you, Chuck, and Sarah. Where we met with that Doctor guy?"

"It's not important," Bryce replies coldly as he walks out of the bathroom and quickly slides under the blanket.

"Well, Fulcrum seems to think so," Jesse argues as she slides in next to him.

"It was a failed government project," Bryce lies quickly. "That's all. Fulcrum is just a bunch of terrorists who don't know the difference between right and wrong." Bryce wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her in close. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Jesse responds after a thoughtful pause. Bryce is obviously hiding something from her, which she doesn't know why. This Intersect must be very important. She knows she is going to need to slowly pry the information out of him. She sighs heavily and wraps her arms around his waist and holds herself flush against him to keep her warm and secure so the nightmares aren't as intense.

**December 16, 2004**

"They're sending me to D.C.," Chuck confesses to Sarah with a gloomy tone as they cuddle inside her hotel room and under the covers of her bed. "But I don't know why. I leave tomorrow."

Sarah cuddles closer to Chuck so more of her bare skin can be soothed by his warm body. "It's okay, Chuck," she assures with a soft comforting tone. "Just do what they ask for now. Go to D.C. I'll be waiting here for you." She peppers his chest with butterfly kisses from her secure nest underneath his arm.

"Roark killed another man," Chuck states absentmindedly as if pieces of himself have chipped away as he stares off into the distance of the end of the hotel room. "He was a CIA analyst for the last twenty-three years. I flashed on him. He seemed like a glorious patriot but he'd been working with Fulcrum for the last three years. It was my fault though," Chuck confesses sadly.

Sarah looks up at him and her heart is breaking for him. She doesn't know what to do, but she hates seeing Chuck like this. She wants to cry for him but she has to be strong… not just for him, but for herself too.

"He was the one who told Roark where my dad was," Chuck continues solemnly. "Since you guys moved him, Roark thought the analyst betrayed him." Chuck pauses as he ponders his words. He finally confesses, "I was the one who betrayed Roark."

"You did the right thing," Sarah speaks up with concern and confidence. "If you didn't relay the information to me, Roark would have your father. Plus, Roark eliminated a Fulcrum mole too, so it is a win-win situation."

"But the man didn't deserve to die, Sarah," Chuck protests weakly. "He had a family… a loving wife and two kids. One of them was only six. She's going to grow up without a father now."

"He made the choice to work for Fulcrum, Chuck," Sarah instills confidence into Chuck. "He's responsible for his actions, not you."

"I just… I don't want to do this anymore," Chuck admits miserably.

"What am I? Your shrink now?" Sarah jokes lightheartedly as she just wants her loving, caring, humorous Chuck back. She would love to take him back home, but she knows he cannot leave until Fulcrum is finished completely so she elects to change the subject to something more humorous. "Let me go get the pen and paper," Sarah slides out from under the blanket; the coldness of losing Chuck's touch causing shivers down her nude body.

Chuck watches his amazing girlfriend saunter over to the table completely nude. Everything he is doing is worth it if he can just live the rest of his life with her. She is singly the most amazing person ever. Chuck feels like a giant nuisance with all his problems, but she's been nothing but helpful and sincere. Sarah arms herself with the small hotel pad and a hotel pen and slides back under the duvet. She sits upright with her back completely against the headboard and she nurses Chuck's head against her stomach as she holds the pad just over his head.

"Okay," Sarah acts all official, "so, tell me your problems."

Chuck smiles in spite of the situation he is in. Sarah is just too great for everything she has done for him. "I love you," he smiles up at her and she grins down from atop the notepad.

"Oh god," she mockingly quips, "this is worse than I thought." They both let out a goodhearted laugh as Sarah runs her hand along his chest. Her hand instantly stops and she becomes eerily solemn when her finger reaches the still fresh scar along his right upper chest where he was shot. Chuck feels her hands glide over it like she is trying to learn its feel, its touch; like a blind person reads braille. "Does it hurt?" Sarah asks barely over a whisper.

"No," Chuck responds as he gently pushes her hand away from the blemish on his skin. It makes him feel mutated; odious.

"That's good," she replies weakly as she drops the pad on the bed and caresses his cheeks with both hands. He looks up at her in confusion as she gazes down at him with a solemn, heartbroken expression. She knows the emotional pain he is going through because she felt the same way. "I got this scar on my calf nearly two years ago," she humbly confesses as she lifts her left leg. Chuck feels her calf until he feels the raised tissue of the historic wound. He runs his thumb along the tiny discoloration as if to learn its properties; its story. "I was on a mission in Thailand. I was escaping and as I was running away, a guard clipped me in the leg."

"How did you get out?" Chuck asks perturbed but humbly as if he is honestly just curious to know more about the mysterious Sarah Walker. He gazes into her shimmering eyes as he waits patiently for her answer.

"Snuck a pair of chopsticks under my forearm," Sarah replies solemnly with no hint of pride in her tone.

"I'm sorry," Chuck confesses as he looks up into her eyes with pure admiration for her.

"It's not your fault," Sarah pets his cheek lovingly. He feels so obligated to apologize for something he had no partake in. "But thank you," she confesses with a subtle grin.

"For what?" Chuck asks as he gazes into the vast oceans of her sea breeze eyes.

"For everything," she whispers as she lifts his head and kneels forward to gently kiss him on the lips. He quickly realizes that kisses upside down are not quite easy to reciprocate, but this doesn't stop them from continuing to share their deep love with each other through their supple, attached lips. Spider-man and Mary Jane have nothing on him and Sarah.

**December 17, 2004**

The cold stale air of Washington D.C. on a December night causes Chuck to huddle together for warmth with his arms across his chest. He is standing outside a classy luxurious two story home. Whose home it is, he doesn't have a single clue. He and Leader watch as Vincent climbs over the fence in his black catsuit. Silently, he lands on the opposite side of the fence and unlatches the gate for Chuck and Leader. "I'm going in," Vincent informs them. "Wait two minutes before entering. I'll have the security grid down by then."

"Roger that," Leader nods and Vincent sprints off into the darkness around the side of the house.

"What are we doing here?" Chuck questions concisely.

"It doesn't concern you," Leader responds dismissively.

"Seeing as how I'm standing out in the cold right now," Chuck retorts agitatedly, "it does concern me."

"Just do as you're told, lover boy," Leader cuts the conversation off with a menacing glare.

Chuck narrows his eyes for a second before backing off. Everything with these people has been cloak and dagger so far. He is never told what is happening until it unfolds before his eyes. It is frustrating because he hates surprises as a spy, yet they are throwing him into situations with no knowledge of what is going on.

Leader impatiently taps on his watch until two minutes pass. "Finally," he huffs petulantly. "Let's go," he directs Chuck towards the house. "You take the front, I'll take the back," Leader hands Chuck a silenced Glock 21 firearm. "Just in case," Leader smirks as he sneaks around the back of the house, leaving Chuck alone with a gun in his hand.

Chuck is surprised that they would trust him with a weapon so soon. He could just as easily shoot Leader in the back and run back to the CIA. Langley is only ten or so miles away from here. But Chuck needs to stay close to Roark to report whatever he can to Sarah. It is the only way to stop Fulcrum, so Chuck holds the gun out in front of him as he creeps to the front door.

He gently presses down on the door handle and it surprisingly is unlocked. _It must've been electronically powered when Vincent shut it down,_ Chuck muses as he eases the door open without making a sound. Fulcrum wouldn't ambush him, would they? He slips the gun in first followed by his face to scan the area for any threats. Everything seems quiet and tranquil within the dark house. Whoever lives here must be asleep because there isn't a single light in the room. The only thing illuminating the room is the moon peering down through the windows. Also, there're no pictures of anything hinting to the owner of the home. _It must be a spy's home,_ Chuck muses as they seem to be the more cautious who wouldn't leave anything possibly incriminated about. Chuck silently closes the door behind him and sneaks deeper into the house with his gun drawn. He notices a stairwell to a second floor and chooses to clear the first floor first.

As he makes his way into the kitchen, he turns to the left when he sees movement. He is about to squeeze the trigger when he recognizes Leader standing there. Chuck releases his tense hold on the gun and sighs heavily. "Come on," Leader demands with a hand gesture. "Let's go."

"I nearly killed you," Chuck tersely whispers.

"Good thing you didn't," Leader responds dismissively as he directs Chuck out the back of the house.

"What about the second floor?" Chuck asks after they're safely outside the home.

"Vincent covered it," Leader responds. "We're meeting him in front. Let's go." Leader walks around the house to the front with Chuck in tow; Chuck still completely oblivious to the point in the mission. _Probably to steal something,_ Chuck muses thoughtfully. Vincent catches up with them after a few minutes.

**December 18, 2004**

Sarah didn't think anything of it when she was texted by Beckman for an immediate conference call at eight in the morning. She was expecting to be updated on when Bryce and Casey would be moved out to Los Angeles, and she has yet to start her yogurt job but is aware of the location and store name. She opens her laptop and powers it on and wraps a robe around her sleepwear out of common courtesy for her partners and superiors. She links up the video conference and is surprised to only see General Beckman, Major Casey, and Bryce Larkin. She has yet to only speak with Beckman while Graham wasn't around.

"Thank you for joining us, Agent Walker," Beckman states almost solemnly.

"You're welcome, but where's Director Graham?" Sarah asks curiously with a furrowed brow.

Beckman lets out a long sorrowful sigh. "Director Langston Graham is no longer with us," Beckman confesses with true sorrow for the man. They may not have seen eye to eye but he was a great leader and will go down in the history books as one of the finest directors the CIA has ever had. "He was murdered last night in his home in Washington D.C."

What?" Sarah gasps as she covers her mouth in shock; a sickening feeling rising in her stomach at the new information. _Chuck was in D.C._ Graham was like a second father to her when he took her in and gave her a life on the right path. "Murdered?" After she gets over the initial shock and stomach gurgling, the anger seeps in. "Who did it?" She demands in an icy tone. "I'll kill them."

"Agent Walker," Beckman cautiously cuts in, trying to calm the fiery agent down, "we recovered a weapon from the scene and the ballistics show it was the murder weapon. We found fingerprints on the weapon. There was also security footage of a single trespasser last night."

"Just tell me who it is!" Sarah nearly shouts as her knuckles turn white from her clenched fists.

"Agent Walker, Sarah… both of them indicate Agent Carmichael as the assassin," Beckman explains calmly but seriously.

"What?" Sarah flinches back. "Chuck did it?" She questions in complete shock. "No! He couldn't have! He never would do that!"

"This is the security tape that was recovered from Graham's security systems," Beckman plays the footage and Sarah watches in confusion as she sees a black and white Chuck sneak into Graham's house with a Glock 21 handgun. Sarah sullenly watches as the tape only shows Chuck walk into the house and out of the frame.

"That's it?" Sarah demands heatedly. "Where's the rest of the tape?"

"That's all that was left," Beckman explains. "The rest of it was sabotage. We believe he forgot to delete all the footage."

"No way," Sarah shakes her head emphatically. "Chuck did not do it. There's no way he would've made such a rookie mistake. The man is a freakin' computer genius!" Sarah throws her arms up in the air exasperatedly.

"General," Bryce speaks up, "Sarah is right. Chuck was a master with computers. There is absolutely no way he could've made a slipup like this."

"Then what are you suggesting?" Beckman demands of the two CIA agents. "The fingerprints on the murder weapon also matched Agent Carmichael's."

"Why would he leave the gun there?" Sarah queries as if the answer is obvious. "Any mediocre assassin would make sure to take the murder weapon with them. Maybe trash it a few miles away."

"The weapon was found in the trashcan of the neighbor's home," Beckman explains. "It seems Carmichael stashed it underneath all the trash in hopes of it never being found."

"Chuck didn't do it," Sarah states boldly. "He wouldn't turn against this country."

"As of right now, Charles Carmichael is a fugitive of the U.S. government for murder and treason," Beckman declares with only an ounce of mournfulness in her tone.

"That's crap, General," Sarah interrupts angrily. "This is bullshit!"

"The next time you meet 'Mr.' Carmichael, apprehend him," Beckman finishes with her ultimatum.

"No," Sarah retorts boldly. "Chuck didn't kill him."

"Agent Walker," Beckman stares down Sarah, "that is an order. If you fail to carry out your duty, you will be detained for obstruction to justice. I am now the head of this operation and Charles Carmichael is number one on our priority list."

Sarah ends the feed and grabs her laptop. She cocks it back behind her ear and is about to throw it when she steels herself halfway through her toss. Instead, she swings it through the air and lets out a guttural scream before placing the laptop back onto her bed. "This can't be true," Sarah crumbles to her knees miserably. "Chuck would never do such a thing." _Would he?_ The tiniest part of her mind doubts. _I'll just have to find out._

Sarah pulls out her phone and brings up Chuck's number. She hits the dial button and waits patiently until Chuck answers, "Hello?"

"Chuck?" Sarah tries her best to keep her tone even, but Chuck catches it.

"Sarah? Are you alright?" Chuck asks with pure concern, fearful that maybe Fulcrum did something to her.

"Uh, yea, I'm fine," she lies completely but cannot help to grin subtly at how quickly he is to jump to her side. "I just miss you. Can you come over as soon as you can? I need your help."

"Uh, yea, sure," Chuck responds instantly. "Let me just tie up some loose ends and I'll be right over."

"Alright, I'll see you then," Sarah ends the call and takes a few calming breaths. _Chuck cannot be the one who killed Graham_, she declares mentally.

**Sorry, I couldn't help but mention my previous story, **_**Taming the Blond Shemale.**_

**Please review.**


	34. Fighting for What You Believe In

**Thank you for the reviews. With the charitable blessings you've given me, I not only feel an obligation, but I actually want to finish this story. I want to keep the Chuck legacy going for as long as I can because nothing could surpass its amazingness.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**December 18, 2004**

Chuck makes his way to Sarah's hotel room. He ponders the distressed tone of her voice with a furrowed brow. She was definitely not fine even though she said she was. Chuck is hoping that she was just missing him. He has definitely missed her in the couple days they've been apart. He knocks on the door and waits patiently until the door opens. Before he can react, he is now inside the hotel room with his back forcefully pressed against the door and the barrel of a Smith and Wesson Model 5906 handgun against his neck and a fist tangled in a tuft of his shirt. He blinks rapidly as he sees the fiercest midnight blue eyes boring into his soul.

"Sa—Sa—Sarah?" Chuck whimpers out in utter shock.

"Why'd you do it?" She demands angrily.

Chuck has never seen her so menacing and angry in his entire life. He gazes deep into her eyes to see that they are swimming with anger and betrayal. "Do what? Sarah, you're scaring me."

"Why'd you kill him?" Sarah demands without letting up at all. "Did Fulcrum put you up to it?"

"Sarah," Chuck pleads worriedly, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Please, put the gun down."

"You don't know?" Sarah eases up slightly as she reads the concern and confusion in his muddy brown eyes.

"Know what, Sarah?" Chuck exasperatedly questions. "Why are you doing this, Sarah? I'm on your side."

"Are you, Chuck?" Sarah releases her hold on him and steps back, throwing her arms up in the arm, "because it doesn't seem like it." She turns back towards Chuck, who is still frozen by the door. "You killed Graham!"

"Whoa!" Chuck throws his hands up in surrender. "I didn't kill anyone… wait, Graham is dead?"

"Yes!" Sarah shouts will all her anger. "You were there when it happened!"

"I wasn't anywhere…" Chuck trails off as he realizes where he was last night. "That was Graham's home?"

"There's evidence of you breaking in, Chuck," Sarah explains exasperatedly. "You didn't turn off the security camera for the front door."

"Vincent was supposed to turn it off," Chuck mumbles to himself as he tries to put the puzzle pieces together.

"The gun that killed Graham had your fingerprints!" Sarah paces around the room as she feels betrayal swelling up inside her. "How could you do it, Chuck? I trusted you!"

"Sarah," Chuck pleads with all his heart, "I didn't kill him. I swear. I'm being set up."

"Explain," Sarah demands tersely.

"Sarah, they never told me what I was doing there," Chuck explains honestly. "They didn't tell me anything. They threw a gun in my hand and told me to enter through the front door. Sarah," Chuck looks her in the eyes, "I barely got into the house when they directed me to leave."

"Graham was found with a single gunshot wound in the heart," Sarah solemnly informs Chuck, "in his bed on the second floor."

"I never even went to the second floor," Chuck admits heatedly. "Sarah, please, you have to believe me. I would never kill Graham. Fulcrum is framing me."

Sarah weighs her options thoughtfully, but love finally wins out over her duty. "The evidence looks bad," she states with a heavy sigh.

"Please, Sarah," Chuck takes a tentative step towards her.

"I'm supposed to detain you and bring you in," Sarah confesses emotionally as her love battles with her sense of duty. "Beckman's orders."

"Sarah, you can't," Chuck argues as he takes another tentative step towards her. "We're so close to finishing this. We're so close to stopping Fulcrum and Roark."

"What am I supposed to do?" Sarah weakly asks as she looks up at him with tears in her swollen eyes.

Chuck takes her cue and wraps his arms securely around her as he blankets her in his soothing comfort. "You need to try to convince Beckman," he humbly answers in a soft tone. "This was probably Fulcrum's plan so I would have no one to run to. Please don't run off on me, Sarah," Chuck begs sensitively as he feels tears soaking his eyes. "I need you now more than ever. I can't lose you, Sarah. Not now; not ever."

"I'm not going anywhere," Sarah reassures humbly as she gazes into his glassy eyes. "I'm with you until the end, Chuck."

"I'll hold you to it," he lightheartedly pledges. She grins happily at him. He gives her a subtle grin and she gently presses her lips to his. Their lips compress against each other in a warm loving caress.

"I love you, Chuck," she affirms after releasing the sensual kiss.

"I love you too, Sarah," Chuck grins a little brighter at her pronouncement. "And don't you forget it."

"I won't," she wraps her arms around his waist and presses her body as flush to his as possible as she tucks her head under his chin. "I'll talk to Beckman," Sarah informs Chuck in a soft tone. "I'll try to convince her."

"Thank you, Sarah," Chuck runs his hand up and down her arm in a caring gesture.

**December 18, 2004**

Chuck barges into Roark's office with pure rage and fury. "Get off of me!" Chuck shrugs off a guard while stiff-arming another guard.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Roark leans back in his leather chair with a humorous smile. "What's going on here?" Roark motions for his guards to ease off.

Chuck fixes his jacket and bores into Roark's soul with a hateful gleam. "You set me up? You killed Director Graham and framed me!"

"You heard about that?" Roark smirks amusedly. "I didn't think it would get out just yet."

"Why the hell would you do that?" Chuck demands as he growls over Roark's desk with his palms planted on the edge of the desk. "You don't trust me enough?"

"To be honest?" Roark smirks deeper. "Yea, I don't trust you. But now you have nowhere to go. You can't go back to your precious CIA and you have no real chance running away with someone's help, so… you're either with us or you're not."

"That's one fucked up way to earn someone's compliance," Chuck admits with a huff as he steps back and ponders his situation.

"Well, I'm one fucked up person," Roark responds humorously.

"You are," Chuck admits with an odious tone as he storms out of the room.

**December 18, 2004**

"It's nice to see you're not in danger, Agent Walker," Beckman's tone is seething with sarcasm.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry for my outburst earlier," Sarah states sincerely with no sign of humiliation in her tone. "But I'm here to argue on behalf of Chuck's case."

"Agent Walker," Beckman narrows her eyes at the beautiful blonde, "I must caution you that if you didn't act on the opportunity to detain Mr. Carmichael, you will be charged with obstruction to justice."

"Ma'am," Sarah continues undeterred, "I haven't had the opportunity with Fulcrum breathing down his neck… but was able to speak with him. He was framed by Fulcrum. They sent him on a jet to D.C. without any preamble. He had no idea whose home he entered and didn't even clear the first floor when he was ordered to move out. The man who is responsible for destroying the Intersect is the real killer, Vincent Smith."

"He was killed by Major Casey," Beckman argues.

"Well, he's still alive and kicking enough to assassinate the director of the CIA," Sarah retorts with a large bite in her tone. "Why do you think there was only footage of Chuck entering? Because Fulcrum scrambled all the other cameras to make it look like Chuck was the only intruder."

"Agent Walker—"

"And they could've taken Chuck's fingerprints from anything in there," Sarah continues to argue enthusiastically. "They even had him fire the same model weapon at the firing range only a few days ago. Ma'am, this is a classic setup by Fulcrum. Chuck is innocent and he would never harm another soul," Sarah finishes her sermon before breathing in and releasing a labored breath.

"Agent Walker, you make a convincing argument," Beckman sighs as she pinches the bridge of her nose, "but evidence is stronger than a testimony."

"Ma'am, with all due respect, Chuck is the Intersect. He wouldn't dare defect like this," Sarah argues as a last ditch effort.

"And what if he gave them the Intersect as a peace offering?" Beckman conjectures with an expectant tone. "There are two sides to every possibility. The evidence says one thing while you and Carmichael say another. But the board will err on the side of evidence over testimonies. I'm sorry, Agent Walker, but without a verbal or written confession from Roark or Smith, Chuck will remain a fugitive. The Director is too dire for him to be dishonorably discharged."

"But I lov—" Sarah pauses her outburst and takes a calming breath. "Chuck and Bryce were best friends since college. Bryce would know Chuck better than anyone. Talk to him, get his testimonial. Chuck is innocent."

"I'll keep that in mind, if there isn't anything else, Agent Walker, your mission is still to arrest Carmichael," Beckman states seriously.

"Yes, ma'am," Sarah dejectedly ends the feed and falls back onto her bed with the vow to never hurt Chuck or carry out her new assignment to detain him.

**December 22, 2004**

Leader drives Chuck nearly two hours until they end up at a deserted drive-in movie theatre. They both step out of the car and Chuck glances around at the barren deserts surrounding him from all angles. There is a worn down screen, a booth that houses where the projector used to be, and an obsolete playground set with springing pony chairs and swings barely held by the rusted chains. "What is this place?" Chuck asks curiously, although he is almost certain he knows what it is. "We didn't come all this way for a movie, did we?"

"Yea, we were gonna watch a showing of Tron," Leader deadpans facetiously.

"You know what Tron is?" Chuck asks in surprise and glee before reading the dreadful look on Leader's face. "That was a joke," Chuck quips like it was obvious.

"No, really?" Leader rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "This is a base," Leader pulls up one of the springing pony chairs, the blue one to be exact. He reveals a ladder down into the base. "Now let's go," he heads down the ladder with Chuck following right after.

_This must be Black Rock,_ Chuck deduces as he creates a mental note to tell Sarah the next time he sees her. Chuck follows Leader down and into a narrow tunnel with pipes running along both sides. Leader directs them into a room a few feet down the tunnel and on the left.

"Ah, you're here," Roark states rather excitedly as he taps his fingers together energetically. "Good." Chuck walks in to see Roark standing before a desk with Vincent standing beside him. "With Graham out of the picture," Roark glances over at Chuck, "thanks to you, Charles." Chuck narrows his eyes at Roark. "We can finally come out of hiding and I have just the way to do it."

"And how is that?" Leader asks, filling in the silence.

"We're gonna turn the next in line for the Director of the CIA," Roark chuckles devilishly. "You see, a long time ago, there was this innocent 'boy' back in college. He was on the fast track to becoming the first Bill Gates. He knew everyone who was going to one day be someone, including one Mitchell Anderson…"

"Who is going to be the new director of the CIA," Vincent fills in.

"Exactly!" Roark nearly jumps with excitement. "And let's just say," Roark puts his hand beside his mouth as if he is telling a secret, "He wasn't very good with the ladies. But his buddy, Ted, came through for him for a lengthy price. Oh," Roark runs in place as he drawls out the expression, "you should've seen this girl. Whew, sweet little ass on that girl. And she had the personality to go with it," Roark pretends to lift the two imaginary breasts in front of him. "I not only got Mitchell a date with her, but he lost his V-card to her. Damn, was he excited about it until he found out she was pregnant. This is right when he knew he was going to have a promising career in the government. Obviously, me being the super nice guy I am, I helped him keep his baby momma's lips shut; well the ones on her mouth at least," Roark winks salaciously, "and to this day, no one knows about it except for me and her."

"Can you imagine that happening to the governor?" Chuck questions in curious surprise.

"This is better!" Roark shouts excitedly. "This is the next director of the CIA! He's wanted this position all his life and now he's only mere seconds away from having it. But if news about him having a bastard child when he was back in college? It would ruin him and his reputation. But we don't want that for him, now do we?" Roark leans towards Chuck with an expectant expression.

"Uh, no…?" Chuck unsurely asks with a quirked eyebrow.

"And neither does he!" Roark jumps backwards eagerly. "So, he's gonna be our new puppet and as long as he doesn't try to pull away from the strings, he'll keep his position for many glorious years to come."

"Fulcrum will secretly infuse itself into the entire CIA until they become one entity," Vincent explains calmly.

"Isn't this exciting?" Roark grins brightly at the agents before him.

Chuck's eyes slightly widen is shock of Roark's plan. Now he desperately needs to speak with Sarah.

"We leave in two days," Roark calms down slightly, but still enthusiastic. "We need to plan our trip. Make sure to bring snacks and goodies!"

**December 23, 2004**

Chuck knocks on the door to Sarah's hotel room. He still doesn't know if Sarah got Beckman to cancel the arrest order, but more importantly, he needs to inform her that Black Rock is real and that Roark is planning on using the next director of the CIA to take over. The door finally swings open to Sarah standing there in comfortable jeans and a form-fitting V-neck shirt with a curious but thrilled expression at seeing him again. "Sarah," Chuck sighs as he walks in and she closes the door behind him.

"What is it?" She asks sincerely as she leads him to the bed after giving him a hello kiss on the lips.

"Roark," Chuck states dreadfully as he sits on the bed. "He's going to try to take over the CIA."

"How?" Sarah asks as she sits down next to him and comforts his back with her right hand.

"He knows the man who will be taking over for Graham," Chuck explains. "Apparently, Mitchell Anderson has an illegitimate child with another woman back when he was in college. Roark helped him keep it quiet. But Roark is going to blackmail Anderson into working for Fulcrum's best interests. I swear, did my dad attend some kind of Superpowers College? He, Roark, and Anderson all going to the same college?"

Sarah snorts comically, but is too caught up with the dramatics of the situation they are in. "I can talk to Beckman, but Chuck," Sarah pauses as she steels her features, "you're still wanted for murder. I couldn't convince her. I'm so sorry." She drops her head shamefully as she looks away from Chuck. She cannot bear to look into his eyes at her failure.

"Hey," Chuck humbly comforts her, "it's not your fault." He gently lifts her head and turns it so she looks into his eyes. "You did what you could."

"But you'll never be able to go home," Sarah argues tearfully. "You'll have to live in hiding for the rest of your life. I don't want that for you. I don't want that for us."

"Sarah," Chuck leans in and presses his lips to hers. Both of their eyes close when the front door flies open, tugging on the screws in its hinges. Sarah reaches for the gun on her nightstand when Casey steps in with his gun aimed forward.

"Don't do it, Walker," Casey demands seriously as he steps in, Bryce right behind with his gun also aimed forward.

"What the hell is going on?" Sarah demands heatedly.

"Carmichael, you're under arrest and Walker, you are for obstruction of justice," Casey explains.

"What?" Sarah shouts. "Dammit, Casey, Chuck is innocent. He didn't do it!"

"Orders are orders," Casey throws a pair of handcuffs to each of them. "Cuff each other."

Chuck stands up and moves in front of Sarah. "You can take me in, but Sarah is innocent."

"No, Chuck," Sarah stands up behind him and holds onto his shoulder. "You can't."

"Sarah, I have to protect you no matter what," Chuck confesses solemnly. "I'm sorry, Sarah, but I can't let you get what you don't deserve." Chuck puts his hands behind his back as he holds the cuffs out towards her. "Cuff me."

"No," Sarah throws the cuffs onto the bed. "I'm not cuffing you," she protests adamantly with crossed arms over her chest.

"Larkin, cuff him," Casey grumbles agitatedly.

Bryce struggles with his mission and his friendship. He doesn't want to defy his orders or country, but he also doesn't want to screw his friend over.

"You're his best friend and you're just going to do what you're told?" Sarah shouts at Bryce irately. "What kind of friend are you that you can't even trust him?"

"Dammit, Larkin, cuff him!" Casey demands impatiently at Bryce's statuesque position.

"Think about it, Casey," Bryce reasons hopefully. "Why would he betray this country? He's helped us capture White and gave us a heads up on Fulcrum's plans to kidnap Orion. Maybe he is being framed."

"I am," Chuck protests.

Casey regards his partners' demeanors before stating, "I don't care. You can take that up with Beckman when we get to the base and you're detained."

"Casey, please," Sarah begs, "Chuck has no motive to kill Graham."

"That's not my problem," Casey responds dismissively. "Larkin, cuff them or you'll be held in contempt."

"Dammit, Casey, Chuck's never even killed anyone before!" Bryce shouts irritably. "Okay?" Bryce looks over at Chuck's disappointed frown.

"What do you mean?" Sarah asks curiously.

"Why do you think he used tranqs? Because he never killed anyone," Bryce explains exasperatedly with remorse for his friend but he feels like this is the last chance to keep his friend from being imprisoned. "I killed the mark for his red test."

"This is true?" Sarah looks over at Chuck with a furrowed expression, which he mistakes for her looking at him like he is a monster.

"It's true," Chuck bowls his head down shamefully, "I didn't kill the guy for my red test. I… I chickened out. I couldn't take the life… but I have killed," Chuck's tone falls gravely sorrowful. "When I was in Roark Instruments, when I thought I was going to die, I killed someone. I killed him because I was angry at them for taking me away from you," he looks over at Sarah with an apologetic gloomy expression. "From hurting you," he echoes. "I wanted revenge for the pain they caused you from taking me away from you."

Sarah doesn't know how to respond. Chuck didn't kill out of revenge for them hurting him, but for them hurting her by hurting him. He wanted revenge because she was pained from losing him. No one has ever been so thoughtful towards her. No one has ever put her over everything else in their lives. "It's okay, Chuck," she hugs him tightly.

"Ugh, you're gonna make me sick," Casey grunts odiously, interrupting the sweet moment between them.

Sarah turns in Chuck's arms and looks over at Casey. "Casey, you're going to have to shoot me if you want to take Chuck away."

"No," Chuck turns so he blocks all of Sarah with his body, just in case.

"Casey, look, Chuck just found out that Fulcrum is planning to take over the CIA by turning the next in line for the director," Sarah states as she slips from Chuck's protective grasp, them both looking towards Casey.

"And how do you know we can trust him?" Casey wonders, knowing he needs to be the devil's advocate.

"Because I love, Chuck," Sarah states confidently. She possessively wraps her left arm around his waist and her right arm draped over his shoulder.

Bryce's eyes widen slightly at Sarah's pronouncement. He knew they were cavorting and sleeping together but he didn't know she was that dedicated already. A very small part of him is actually proud of Chuck and Sarah. This is just another reason why he should never have tried to fight Chuck over Sarah.

"Dammit," Casey lowers his gun with flaring nostrils as he punches the wall with his left hand. He isn't at all surprised by Sarah's declaration. He knew from the minute he started working with her; the way she did everything to find him and how she stayed with him after 'seducing' him. The anger stems from the fact that he will be disobeying his mission. "What the hell am I supposed to tell Beckman?" Casey grunts as he stares into Sarah's eyes with a burning frustration. "This is treason."

"This is heroism," Sarah corrects. "Look, Black Rock exists and Chuck was there. He knows the exact coordinates in his head. If we can get Beckman on board, we can send a team and arrest everyone."

"Imprisoning Roark and the rest of Fulcrum," Bryce muses agreeably, hoping for the big man to work with them.

"Exactly," Sarah nods emphatically. "So Casey, you want to be the cold school assassin that never questions his orders? Or do you want to be the hero who helped save the world by infiltrating Fulcrum's base?"

"Beckman's not going to trust us without incriminating evidence that the base is there," Casey informs them.

"What do you want me to do?" Chuck exasperatedly throws his hands up. "I can't just walk around taking pictures of everything!"

"Actually," Casey grunts amusedly, "that's exactly what you're going to do."

"How?" Chuck asks with a furrowed brow.

"You're going to wear a tiny camera on your jacket," Casey replies haughtily. "When we get confirmation that there is a base, we'll send in an army."

"But what if he's caught?" Sarah questions in fear of losing Chuck.

"He's a spy. It's an occupational hazard," Casey replies unemotionally.

"Chuck," she turns him so she can look into his eyes. "It's too risky. They'll torture you if they find the camera on you."

"I have to risk it, Sarah," Chuck argues humbly. "It's the only way to stop Fulcrum."

"But I don't want to lose you," Sarah complains with a pout as she presses her body flush against his, her voice betraying her calm exterior.

"You won't," Chuck assures as he wraps his arms around her softly. "I promise you that I'll be fine."

Sarah swallows the lump forming in her throat as she tries to school her emotions. "You better come back to me. That's a promise," she demands seriously.

"I know," Chuck holds her tightly as he looks over to Casey. "Get me the camera." Casey slips out almost immediately after grunting his acquiesce.

"How're you feeling?" Bryce asks sincerely. He hasn't talked to Chuck since he was shot on that fateful day.

"I'm fine," Chuck assures truthfully.

"It doesn't hurt or anything?" Bryce continues with his friendly interview because he feels slightly responsible for not protecting Chuck when it was his job.

"Nope, not at all," Chuck shakes his head emphatically. "And the scars make me look… kind of like a badass, you know?" Chuck quips with a large grin.

"Battle scars definitely turn-on the ladies," Bryce matches Chuck's playful grin.

Sarah just shakes her head while rolling her eyes in disbelief.

"Oh come on," Chuck jokingly complains, "You can't tell me you don't find my scars sexy."

"I find you sexy," Sarah declares happily, "The scars make you unique."

"In a sexy way," Bryce elaborates joyfully.

"You're ridiculous," Sarah rolls her eyes again and starts to walk away.

"Hey, hey," Chuck catches her and pulls her into a hug, "we're just joking around." He runs his hand up the length of her back in a comforting manner. She habitually forms to him and her entire body relaxes into him as if it is second nature, her tension evacuating her body instantly. Somehow, he can tame and comfort the beast within her. And she enjoys every minute of it. "How's Jesse doing?" Chuck asks Bryce with concern while he holds onto the love of his life.

"She's doing well," Bryce answers before succumbing to slight sadness. "She's been having nightmares every night," Bryce admits sorrowfully as he lowers his head. "They're getting better, but she still has trouble staying asleep. And I don't like leaving her all alone for this mission."

"She's tough," Chuck regards Bryce's demeanor with concern and gentility. "She'll pull through fine. I'm glad that she has someone to look after her though."

Bryce would never openly admit that he is taking a page directly out of the Chuck Bartowski handbook, but he does smile thinly. "I do my best." _I do what you would've done,_ Bryce's mind corrects.

Casey walks back into the room with a suitcase that holds all the devices he'll need to plant on Chuck. Casey places the suitcase on the bed and opens it up. "Open your jacket," he orders Chuck as he digs into the suitcase.

"Whoa," Chuck steps back with his hands up in mock offense, "don't you think we should at least go on a date first?" He quips comically.

A very menacing grunt rumbles from the stomach of Casey, stilling Chuck before he can fully grin while Sarah and Bryce chuckle to themselves.

"I'll do it," Sarah mirthfully unzips Chuck's jacket and runs her hands along his shirt and slips them under to feel his toned scrumptious abdomen. Chuck looks upon her in shock, surprise, and lust. She just gazes predatorily at him.

"Can't you keep your chocolate out of his peanut butter for one minute, Walker?" Casey grumbles as he regards the lovers with irritation.

Sarah just grins innocently as she backs away from Chuck so Casey can fit the camera through the inner lining of Chuck's chest pocket in his jacket. Using fiber optics, Casey gets the camera through the inside of the jacket and at the corner of the zipper. "Just don't close your pocket," Casey informs Chuck as he turns back to the suitcase to open up the small laptop. Almost instantly, the laptop displays a live feed of the camera on Chuck's jacket. "Everything's up and running," he presses a pair of headphones to his ear. "Sound and video are coming in clear."

"Cool," Chuck remarks enthusiastically. He isn't feeling any discomfort from the small device n his jacket. "I should probably head back anyways."

"Be careful, Chuck," Sarah warns seriously. "You promised me you'd come back."

"And I will," Chuck nods truthfully. He turns to Casey, "well, thanks for trusting me." All he gets in return is a slightly dissatisfied but agreeable grunt. Chuck then turns to Bryce, "Well, buddy; it's time to put an end to this all."

"Yes it is," Bryce gives him a brief hug before releasing it at the sound of Casey's amused grunt.

Sarah throws her arms around Chuck and kisses him passionately on the lips. "Remember," she breathily reminds him, "you promised."

"I know and I love you," Chuck gives her another quick peck on the lips.

"I love you too," she smiles sadly as she watches him open the door to leave the hotel room. "Oh, wait!" She stops him at the threshold of the hallway. "Take this," she underhand tosses a flip phone to him. "It's untraceable and I'll call you when the strike team gets in position."

"Thanks," Chuck smiles sadly as he wants to hold Sarah in his arms for longer, but he knows he needs to get back to Fulcrum.

**Please review.**


	35. Ending The War

**Thank you for all the reviews. Nearly 450 is a blessing that only the strong and family-like fan base of Chuck can accomplish. Thank you for everyone who has stuck with this story throughout the incessantly (although I feel it was absolutely necessary) long time before Chuck and Sarah got together. Thank you for each and every review that helped give me motivation and inspiration to continue. I won't name any specific people that greatly helped, because all of you have and I don't feel like anyone thinking I'm bias ;) *winking face*. Without your help, this story would've fallen flat and faded to the background chapters ago. Chuck will always live on in our hearts and in fanfiction. The great characters, the great storylines (except for Fedak's ideas), the amazing love story, the comical hysterics, the breathtaking action, and every part of the show have given us something in life. When Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak were joking about someone coming up with a Chuck movie script ten years down the road, they should've answered him with fanfiction. Because there are some amazing stories on this site that could easily compete, if not top, some of the movie and television stories that somehow make millions of dollars. I bet any author on this site could make a reasonable movie idea if they really put their mind to it. We all know that whoever thinks up this Chuck movie script ten years down the road was a big Chuck fan who may've wrote some fanfiction in his/her younger days. This is starting to get long and I'm spiraling worse than Chuck Bartowski staring at a nude Sarah Walker, if he was actually talking when she got nude; otherwise his jaw would just drop and he would be speechless. So, thank you everyone and if you skipped this entire author's note, I completely understand.**

**I do not own Chuck.**

**December 23, 2004**

Chuck steps into Leader's inconspicuous Honda Accord's passenger seat. "So," Leader unnecessarily decides to make small talk, "how're things with the lady?" He smirks naughtily.

"Fine," Chuck answers dismissively; the untraceable phone burning a conscious hole in his pocket while the camera feels like a blazing snake emerging from his chest. _Soon, you'll be locked up just like the rest of Fulcrum,_ Chuck thinks enthusiastically as a way to tough out the next few days.

"Whatever," Leader shrugs apathetically, "Roark wants us back at Black Rock. It seems he has some more news to tell us."

"Lead the way."

**December 23, 2004**

"We're here," Leader announces as he steps into Roark's office in Black Rock with Chuck in tow.

"Good," Roark grins brightly as he looks over his few dedicated agents before him. "It looks like our good doctor, Jonas Zarnow, has finished creating the Intersect."

_How?_ Chuck questions with widened eyes. His dad said that Zarnow couldn't do it by himself._ Maybe dad was wrong,_ Chuck's mind argues with himself.

"Tomorrow night, we're going to upload all our agents with the Intersect and we'll take over this world!" Roark shouts victoriously.

"Shit," Sarah grumbles from watching the live feed of Chuck's jacket from the safety of her hotel room. She is rather impressed by the range the camera works and is almost jealous of the NSA's resources compared the CIA's hidden camera only recording when in a range of one hundred yards. "This is not good. We need to give this tape to Beckman right now."

"I'm already on it," Casey states from his seat next to Sarah.

"You think they can get a team ready in time?" Bryce questions curiously.

"I really hope so," Sarah responds grimly.

"Isn't this wonderful?" Roark exclaims. "Preparations are already under way for the upload. Our plans to turn Anderson will have to be put on hold until we upload all of our agents with the Intersect."

**December 24, 2004**

Chuck hated spending the night inside the bunker, but he has finally realized that this is the same base that they revived him and tortured Jesse in. Remembering that fact has caused sickness to rise within him, but he was able to keep it down. He has mostly just sat around while holding onto the untraceable phone in his pocket. Luckily, he wasn't patted down or anything so the phone is still safely on vibrate in Chuck's side pocket.

Finally, after all preparations have been finished, Leader informs Chuck, "We're heading upstairs for the light show," he smirks jokingly, knowing the Intersect will be flashing before their eyes similar to the way a light show would.

"Uh, sure," Chuck responds when he feels the phone finally vibrate in his pocket, feeling like an explosion. "I need to go to the bathroom real quick," he excuses himself quickly. "I'll be there in a sec."

"Fine, just hurry up," Leader responds dismissively.

Chuck speedily walks to the restrooms and steps inside. After quickly checking that it is empty, he flips the phone out of his pocket and to his ear. "Sarah?" He whispers conspiratorially.

"Chuck," Sarah responds shortly, "you need to get out of there. The strike team isn't a team. It's an airstrike."

"What do you mean?" Chuck whispers tersely.

"Beckman is going to bomb Black Rock in eighteen and a half minutes and counting," Sarah quickly informs Chuck. "You need to get out of there now, and hide. You're still wanted for murder."

"What?" Chuck argues angrily. "Did she get the video footage of Black Rock and Fulcrum's new plans with their Intersect?"

"Yes, but she still doesn't believe us," Sarah sighs sadly. "I'm sorry, Chuck. But please just get out of there first. I can't lose you."

"How am I supposed to just leave?" Chuck asks indignantly. "I'm not exactly their must trusted agent."

"I don't know, but you need to, Chuck. You need to get out of there as soon as possible."

"Okay, okay," Chuck sighs reluctantly. "I'll find a way."

"Good. I love you."

"I love you, too," Chuck ends the call and hides the phone back into his pocket. He glances at his watch to see the time.

_8:04pm_

_That gives me approximately seventeen minutes to get out of there;_ Chuck sticks a post-it note to his brain. He steps out of the bathroom to an assault on his vision by Leader. "Whoa," Chuck flinches back.

"Roark doesn't want anyone to miss this," Leader responds. "Let's go."

"Yea, alright," Chuck follows Leader up the ladder and out of the base. Leader directs him into the old worn down theater booth where Roark, Zarnow, and Vincent are standing. Chuck glances back down at his watch.

_8:07_

Chuck watches the gleeful look on Roark's face as he introduces Chuck to Zarnow. "Charles, this is Dr. Zarnow," Roark introduces kindly. "He's one of the original technicians of the Intersect… and now the creator of the Fulcrum Intersect." Chuck and Zarnow shake hands. "This is a good man," Roark pats Zarnow on the back. "He's a hard bargain, but a worthwhile one in the end."

Chuck nods as he looks past Roark and Zarnow to the glass windows glaring upon the movie screen. Chuck notices the swarm of red luminosities coming from the multitude of cars parked in front of the screen with their convertible tops down. Vincent carries the Cipher Zarnow created and plugs it into the computer connected to the projector.

"I better slip out and give a whole crazy enthusiastic speech," Roark states joyously. "You know how it is. I got to hype up my future of running this country." Roark hurriedly walks out of the room and across the parked cars towards the screen. Chuck again looks down at his watch.

_8:10_

He scrambles his vast brain for ideas on how to excuse himself from the room. He already used the bathroom excuse for the phone call so that is out of the question, but what other possible reason could he use? A light bulb flashes over his head as his eyes widen with discovery. He sneakily slips his hand into his pocket and using his memory, he finds his way to the ringtone section and presses play.

The Mexican Hat Dance echoes through the room and all eyes dart to Chuck with confused and annoyed gleams. "Oh," Chuck jumps up as if he didn't know it was coming, "that must be me." He pulls his phone out of his pocket.

"Don't answer it," Vincent orders calmly.

"But it's my girlfriend," Chuck pleads as he glances over at Leader with a puppy dog pout.

"Don't care," Leader responds. "Shut that annoying crap off."

"Fine," Chuck sighs despondently and turns off the annoying music. He puts his phone back into his pocket and checks his watch.

_8:12_

_Shit, shit, shit,_ Chuck panics in his mind. Vincent pulls out his phone and walks out of the room for privacy.

Roark walks along the small raised sill just below the screen and walks to the center with a microphone attached to his cheek. "Welcome," he spreads his arms out openly. "I see you've all found your way. Good," he projects through the speakers just below his feet, "you've all been selected by Fulcrum to be the next generation of Intersect agents. More capable than any computer. More efficient than any spy in history. Welcome to the future," he pumps his fist excitedly. "Can you dig it?"

A few of the cars honk their horns ecstatically while the others hesitate to join the group.

"Whoa," Roark acts offended as he throws his arms up in the air. "That's not the response I was hoping for." He reaches into the bowels of his throat and shouts, "can you dig it?"

All the cars honk their horns and flash their headlights enthusiastically.

"Yes!" Roark approves joyously. "Can you dig it?" His voice echoes a few times as the cars continue to honk eagerly.

Roark makes his way off the stage to join Chuck, Vincent, Leader, and Zarnow in the projector booth. "How was that?" Roark asks curiously. "Did it get the juices flowing?"

"Very well done, sir," Vincent answers approvingly. "Very tasteful."

"Thank you," Roark nods happily.

Chuck checks his watch for the umpteenth time.

_8:19_

_Crap,_ Chuck panics further.

"The Intersect is loaded and ready," Vincent inform Roark.

"Great," Roark enthuses. "Start the countdown."

Vincent presses the 'y' key on the keyboard and a three minute countdown begins.

"The program will begin in three minutes," a monotone male voice projects from the speakers.

Chuck feels the sweat lubricating his body as time dwindles down. "Um…" he nervously speaks up. "I kind of have to go to the bathroom."

"It can wait," Roark responds quickly and gleefully. "You don't want to miss all the fireworks."

_And I don't want to be killed by them either,_ Chuck muses, worried more about the airstrike than the Intersect upload. "But I really need to go."

"You went not more than twenty minutes ago," Leader demands of Chuck. "You can wait."

_Shit, shit, oh shit holes,_ Chuck freaks out mentally;_ this is bad._ He quickly turns off the camera in his jacket so whoever watches it isn't affected by the Intersect.

The countdown drops to 3… 2… 1…

Chuck shuts his eyes as tight as he can as the computer hums to life and the images project onto the movie screen. Everyone watches as the images flash by their eyes, except for Chuck. He doesn't want to have a refreshed Intersect in his head. He already has one and doesn't need another. He listens calmly until he hears the computer power itself down a minute later. He hesitantly peeks an eye open to see the movie screen blank and the computer monitor displaying the words _'Intersect Upload Complete.'_ Chuck reluctantly glances down at his watch as he doesn't really want to know what time it is.

_8:23_

_Shit, the airstrike is going to hit any second,_ Chuck's brain scrambles. _I need to get out of here now!_

"Wow," Roark sighs in awe, "what a rush." He glances back at his agents. "What a rush," he echoes again in an awed whisper. "I," he steps over to a folder that holds some files that should be in the Intersect, "I gotta flash." He looks over a few pictures and nothing happens. "I'm not flashing," he worriedly states. "I'm not flashing!" Hostility seeps into his tone. "It's not working!" He turns to Zarnow with pure anger.

"Um… there must be some kind of glitch," Zarnow worriedly responds. He knew he didn't know how to make the Intersect as his sole purpose was to filter the multitude of images. He was hoping he could be long gone before Roark used the Intersect. "I can fix it but I'll have to take it to the lab."

"No more labs!" Roark threatens angrily. "A deal is a deal! You get no money and you're dead!"

"No, wait," Zarnow begs for his life.

"Shoot him," Roark demands of Vincent when the ground starts to tremble. "What the hell is that?"

A missile descends from the sky like a sign of god's anger as it impacts the movie screen. The screen lights up into a horrific inferno as the ground tremors more forcefully. Everyone panics as another missile crashes down onto the parked cars of the Fulcrum agents.

"Shit, run!" Roark shouts hastily as he heads for the door. Another missile impacts just next to the booth and all of them fall to their knees from the quake. Chuck looks around for the best exit when he sees Leader unconscious as he was thrown against a wall, and Roark run through the door and outside.

Chuck quickly follows him down the stairs. He sees Roark head for the blue spring pony to enter Black Rock, but Chuck knows the hailing bombs around them are specifically made to penetrate into that bunker. As Roark steps up to the blue pony, a missile explodes fifteen feet away from him; throwing him back towards Chuck and onto the ground.

"Ted, this way," Chuck helps the dirtied and ashen Roark up onto his feet. Chuck helps Roark stumble his way to Leader's Honda Accord. Chuck gets in the driver door and Roark gets into the front passenger seat.

"Go, go, go!" Roark demands worriedly.

Chuck looks under the steering wheel and pulls off the panel just under the ignition tumbler. He doesn't know how to hotwire a car, but he's seen it in movies plenty of times. All it takes is the sparking of two wires… or something like that.

"Come on!" Roark insists as he sees the projector booth light up in a fiery inferno from the missile that just directly contacted it.

"I'm trying," Chuck responds tersely as he suddenly feels a flash course through his brain.

_A 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT500 in a sleek silver paint with two black stripes down the center._

_A file on Wendell "Phoenix" Gaines, a car thief who stole over fifty cars._

_His technique on forging the red ignition cable with the blue battery cable._

_A 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT500 in a sleek silver paint with two black stripes down the center._

Chuck blinks rapidly on having learned a skill form the Intersect. He never thought that would be possible as he quickly follows the instructions of the flash and sparks the red cable with the blue cable. They spark a few times until the car rumbles to life. "I got it!" Chuck shouts happily as he fuses the two cables to hold together.

"Good, now go!" Roark demands hurriedly as another quake rocks the wailing earth.

Chuck presses his foot all the way down and the car lurches forward with haste. Chuck quickly turns around and drives onto the street as the earth shakes in pain from the swarm of missiles crashing down on it. Chuck swerves onto the paved road and away from the base. He glances in his rearview mirror to see the smoke and blaze from the remnants of Black Rock just before a carpet airstrike blankets the entire base in multiple mushroom clouds of yellow and orange.

"How the hell did that happen?" Roark demands as he slams his fist against the dashboard. "That was all I had!"

"I saw Vincent talking privately on his phone," Chuck muses unsurely, having noticed Vincent take a call while Roark was giving his speech.

"That two-timing son of a bitch!" Roark slams the dashboard with both fists; denting in the black plastic. "I'd kill him if he wasn't already blown to pieces! Thank god for you, Chuck," Roark sighs reverently as he pats Chuck on the shoulder. "You've turned out to be a most trustworthy agent."

"Thank you, sir," Chuck nods as he sees some lights in the distance slowly grow with luminesce. "Looks like there's a motel up ahead. I think we should stay there for the night. We can rest up and plan on what to do for the future."

"Good idea, Chuck," Roark nods affirmatively. "My suit is all tarnished and everything," Roark looks down at his burned and torn suit. "I like that about you," Roark pats Chuck again. "You're a thinker. You're not just some grunt who does what he's told."

"Nope, I'm sure not," Chuck responds as he pulls into the motel. "Maybe I should get the room," Chuck stares Roark up and down. "You might get some odd stares."

"Good idea," Roark stays in the car as Chuck steps out.

Chuck walks into the lobby of the motel and steps up to the desk. "Hi, how may I help you?" A woman in her late forties with reddish orange hair asks sweetly.

"Yes, I would like a room with two beds, please," Chuck responds sincerely.

"Sure," she smiles brightly. "Will that be card or cash?"

"Cash," Chuck pulls out a few bills from his pocket.

"Great! That'll be sixty a night."

"Here's sixty," Chuck hands over three twenty dollar bills that he pulled out of the stack of bills he had on him.

"Thank you," she exchanges the cash for the key to the room. "You'll be in room six and checkout will be at noon."

"Thank you," Chuck pockets the key and steps away from the desk. He pulls out the burner phone that Sarah gave him and presses redial. After the third ring, Sarah picks up.

"Hello?" She asks cautiously because she doesn't know if maybe Chuck was held captive and they were using his phone.

"Sarah, it's Chuck," he sighs with relief. Just hearing her voice heightens his spirits immensely.

"Chuck," she is nearly reduced to tears after not knowing if she will ever hear from him again.

"I'm okay," Chuck starts out, knowing she must be worried about him. "I'm at a motel a few miles west of Black Rock," Chuck explains.

"I'll be there in an hour," Sarah responds. "Just stay where you are."

"Sarah?" Chuck realizes she hung up because she was in such a hurry. He pockets the phone and heads out to Roark, who is standing by the car.

"Well?" Roark questions with a shrug.

Chuck dangles the keys in front of his face. "I got a two bedroom room."

"So I have to sleep in the same room as you?" Roark jokingly complains. "You better not snore."

"I don't," Chuck grins as he leads Roark to the motel room. He fondles the key to the door of room six until he slides it into the keyhole and rotates it. The lock retracts and the door opens to a dark quiet room. Chuck flips on the lights and scrutinizes the two queen beds with a wary eye. These dingy motels aren't exactly known for their hygiene. "Take your choice," Chuck gestures to the bed.

Roark bounces on the bed closer to the front door like a child excitedly testing the bounciness of the mattress while he ponders his next moves. "Look, we're not done yet," Roark explains as he stands back up. "If we can get to Washington, I may be able to find Anderson and still blackmail him to do what we ask." Roark looks over at Chuck with a hopeful expression. "We may've lost the battle but we can win this war."

"How do you expect we get to Washington?" Chuck questions. "We have the whole government out there looking for us."

"If we can get to my plane, we can fly there."

"Do you know how to fly?" Chuck questions skeptically.

"I always have my pilot on third speed dial," Roark answers haughtily. "He never asks questions and doesn't pay attention to news. He's trustworthy."

"Are you sure you can trust him?"

"Yea, just like I trust you," Roark answers honestly.

"Are you sure about that?" Chuck produces handcuffs from his jacket and grabs Roark's arms and places them behind his back.

"What're you doing?" Roark questions unknowingly as he feels the cold steel tighten around his wrists.

"I'm arresting you for treason and murder," Chuck responds coldly as shoves him towards the table.

"You're arresting me?" Roark breaks out into a fit of laughter. "You have nowhere to go," he continues to laugh maniacally. "Your government wants you for murder. They'll arrest you too," Roark lets out a thunderous laugh. "Oh boy, Charles, you are a funny man." He suddenly seriously states, "un-cuff me right now."

"That's not going to happen," Chuck responds as he forcefully pushes Roark against the table and pats him down for any possible weapons. "Just think of this as an early Christmas present for me. It is Christmas eve after all."

"Who the hell do you think you are? Turning on me?" Roark questions angrily.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced," Chuck smirks victoriously. "I'm Charles Bartowski…"

"Stephen's son? You're Orion's son?" Roark turns to look at Chuck with widened eyes.

"Isn't it funny how that works out?" Chuck responds patronizingly. "The person you trust the most is the son of the man you tried to kidnap…" Chuck punches Roark across the face. Roark spits out some blood to his side. "And no one threatens the Bartowski family," Chuck throws another right hook into Roark's cheek.

"Fuck you," Roark tries to spit blood at Chuck, but he sidesteps Roark and punches him in the gut. The breath rushes out of Roark's lungs and stomach as he cringes forward.

"And that was for my sister," Chuck states revengefully. "It really is fitting that you're finished by a Bartowski. My father helped make you a technological powerhouse. And I helped end you." Chuck cocks back his right fist as he builds his anger, revenge, and pride.

"I'll kill—" Roark doesn't finish as Chuck's overcharged punch slices through Roark's jaw and knocks him completely unconscious before he falls to the disgusting floor.

**December 24, 2004**

Sarah makes it to the motel that Chuck explained on the phone. She made sure that she wasn't followed by Casey or Bryce. They were at the apocalypse that was once Black Rock to make sure the airstrike was successful and there were no survivors. She slipped out in saying that she was tired as the time was rounding eleven at night. She walks over to door six as Chuck had instructed and knocks once.

Chuck peeps through the eyehole and eagerly opens the door. Sarah attacks him almost instantly as she clings onto him with her lips pressed to his. "I missed you," she says between kisses as he kicks the door shut and takes her to the bed. "I was afraid you were gonna get caught in the blast." She continues between kisses.

"Technically I was," Chuck responds, the kissing continuing as passionately as before. "But that doesn't matter now that I have you here, Sarah." Chuck falls onto his designated bed as Sarah straddles him from atop; their lips still molded to one another's.

"But you had a promise to keep," Sarah responds smugly as she lifts her shirt over her head, to leave her torso in just her bare dark blue bra.

"Yes, and a Bartowski never falls back on their promises," Chuck starts attacking her torso with miniature kisses as he roams her abdomen and chest. His hands find their way to her back and flick off the strap of her bra so he can kiss her most sensitive skin.

She starts unbuttoning his shirt as he kisses, suckles, and licks her ample breasts that missed his touch for so long. "I love you, Chuck," she declares as she stretches her head back from his tantalizing pleasure while her hands roam his bare furry and toned chest and abdomen.

"I love you too," he responds truthfully as he continues his pleasurable onslaught on her entire body.

**December 25, 2004**

Sarah feels the sun sprinkle her skin with warmth through the blinds into the motel room, but she still feels an unnerving cold. She slowly turns to meet the man she loves, who surprisingly isn't cuddled to her. She turns to see that Chuck isn't in the bed and his side is cold. "Chuck?" She questions softly. She hates the feeling of loneliness and it is occupying her at the moment. The shower isn't running and the other bed is empty. She notices there is a folded note on the table and slips out of bed with a tiny grin, thinking Chuck must've stepped out for some breakfast to bring back for her.

She saunters over to the table in her plain grey shirt and white cotton panties. She notices that her phone sits next to the note and there is one voicemail on it; his burn phone resting next to hers. She lifts the handwritten note and reads it.

_Sarah,_

_Please listen to your voicemail._

_Love, Chuck_

She grins proudly as she picks up her phone and dials the voicemail. She waits for it to ring until the automated voice asks what she would like to do. She directs it to listen to her voicemail and listens to Chuck's message.

"_Sarah, I love you," Chuck declares in a solemn tone. "You're the greatest thing to happen in my life. Everything that's ever happened was worth it because I met you and fell in love with you."_

Sarah smiles reverently as tears sting her eyes. She's never heard someone profess their love so deeply.

"_You have to know that you're the most important thing in my life," Chuck continues sorrowfully._

Sarah doesn't like where it is going as she listens more carefully.

"_And that I'll always protect you. I'll always do whatever is in the best interest of your safety." Chuck sighs heavily. "That's why I have to leave. I have to leave you. I'm so sorry, Sarah," Chuck tearfully confesses. "But I have to protect you. You can't live on the run for the rest of your life. You deserve so much more than that. Please understand that I'm doing this for you."_

"No," Sarah gasps as tears stream down her face and her lips quiver in heartbreak. "Chuck…"

"_Sarah, I love you and always will. You'll always be my one and only. I'm sorry things didn't work out better for us. But I will always be treated as a criminal for Graham's murder." Chuck sighs again to change the subject. "This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do," he confesses sadly. "You're never going to see me again, so please don't wait for me. Please live your life to the potential I know you have."_

"Dammit, Chuck," Sarah angrily and tearfully slams her fist against the table; her car keys hopping off the table a few inches.

"_You're the most amazing woman in the world. Sarah," Chuck fights the lump forming in his throat, "Merry Christmas. Your present is waiting inside the trunk of your car. I really wish things would've been different for us. I do, but I'll always love you, Sarah. Now and forever."_

Sarah hears the automated voice asking if she wants to delete the message and she ends the call. "Dammit, Chuck! I would've gone with you! I love you! How could you do this to me?" She slumps into the chair dejectedly. "How could you leave me?" She wipes away the tears streaming down her face.

After getting dressed and making her way to her car, she pops the trunk and her eyes widen slightly at Chuck's Christmas present. Roark is sleeping in the trunk, curled up in the fetal position with his wrists cuffed behind him. She shuts the trunk and gets into the car.

**December 25, 2004**

She pulls up to the rubble that was once Black Rock where Casey and Bryce are watching over the NSA agents rummaging through the debris for any survivors or important pieces of technology. Casey and Bryce both walk over to her. "Where were you, Walker?" Casey asks expectantly.

"Nowhere," she walks to her trunk where Casey and Bryce join her. "Merry Christmas," she states indifferently and coldly as she opens her trunk and walks away. Casey and Bryce stare with widened eyes at Roark sleeping in her trunk with his hands bound behind his back.

**Thank you all for being a large pushing point to this story. You're like the sixth man in basketball or the twelfth man in football (in America). So thank you all for being my audience, my fans, my supporters. None of this would be possible if it wasn't for you.**

**Please review.**


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